The decision not to suspend the EU-Israel association agreement is an act of profound moral cowardice. Israel has violated every aspect of the human rights conditions attached to the agreement. It is committing genocide in Gaza. It is murdering citizens in the West Bank. It has started an illegal war against Iran. Now, it is also bombing Lebanon. This is not a normal government. This is a rogue state that has crossed every red line and engaged in egregious breaches of human rights and international law. Since this genocide in Gaza began, however, EU leaders have failed in their commitments to EU rights, failed to uphold international law and failed to stand up to Israel. Again, this week, the EU had the opportunity to finally send a clear message to Israel by suspending the EU-Israel association agreement and it shamefully chose not to. In this Chamber, we cannot sit around and wait for the EU to act. This Government must take trade with Israel into its own hands and pass the occupied territories Bill in full for goods and services. Ireland can and should act where Europe will not. This takes me to another point in relation to the Technion contract or the links that University of Galway has with that Israeli institution. It is deeply concerning that yesterday "7 LÁ" exposed that the Nelson Mandela Foundation is now reviewing the use of Nelson Mandela's name by that university because of its links with Technion. This is something that a lot of campaigners in Galway have long campaigned on. They have asked the university to end any links with that Israeli institution. It is high time that it did just that. It is a shame that the Nelson Mandela Foundation has been forced to review its relationship with the university. I assume it feels that under the moral circumstances it is compelled to do so given the use of Nelson Mandela's name by that university. My final point relates to the continued use by the US military of Shannon Airport. Too often I have heard Government TDs and Ministers talk about the illegal war in Iran in totally and utterly abstract circumstances. Do we have full control in relation to this? No, absolutely not. Nobody is saying that we do. However, it is outrageous that we continue to allow the use of Shannon Airport by the US military as it continues with its illegal war in Iran and atrocities around the world.

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