7. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will call for a boycott of the upcoming Nations League matches between Ireland and Israel on the grounds that Israel is an apartheid state that has engaged in ethnic cleansing and genocide; his engagement with an organisation (details supplied) on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32981/26]

Sentiment score: 0.18

Will the Government call for a boycott of the upcoming Nations League matches between Ireland and Israel on the grounds that Israel is an apartheid state that has engaged in ethnic cleansing and genocide? What engagement has the Minister of State had with the FAI on the matter? If he thinks it is okay to ban Russia from international sport, why can the same rule not apply to Israel? Will the Minister of State stop the game and refuse to play ball with genocide?

Sentiment score: -0.02

Let us get real here. The Minister of State is ducking any responsibility. If the Government opposed Ireland playing Israel in an international soccer match, the FAI would follow suit. Yesterday a campaign was launched to stop the game between Ireland and Israel. An open letter was signed by many people in Irish soccer, including Brian Kerr, Joe Redmond, Pico Lopez, Louise Quinn and Roddy Collins as well as people outside soccer, including Christy Moore, Senator Frances Black, Kneecap and the Fontaines DC. I am a season ticket holder for the FAI. As a basic human being, I will not attend that match. Last year, the FAI passed a motion to suspend Israel from UEFA competitions. The Government and the FAI must respect that mandate. The signatories are calling for the game to be stopped on the basis that Israeli teams are playing on occupied Palestinian land and that Israel has a brutal system of apartheid and has committed acts of genocide. The Government accepts that Israel is an apartheid state and is committing acts of genocide. It is inconceivable that the Irish Government is willing to stay silent on this matter while these crimes are going on in the name of football.

Sentiment score: 0.03

The Minister of State mentioned sanctions on Russia. The Government has still not enacted the occupied territories Bill. We are still waiting. That was a promise in the programme for Government. What the Government has responsibility for is who comes into our country. Can the Minister of State guarantee that those arriving to support Israel have not taken part in or supported genocide? What security measures will be in place to stop people who have taken part in or supported the slaughter of 75,000 Palestinian people from entering Ireland? How will the Government screen for those who have committed the most barbaric crimes from entering the country? Will they be arrested at the airport for crimes of collective punishment, mass displacement or genocide? Can the Minister of State even guarantee that the Israeli players themselves are not or were not members of the Israel Defense Forces? Are we going to stand by and allow supporters and perpetrators of genocide to enter our country? This part of it is the Minister of State’s responsibility. I urge the Minister of State to stop the game: do not play ball with genocide and be on the right side of history.

Sentiment score: 0.09

What about the security measures?

Sentiment score: 0.34