The US and Israel are bombing Iran in a clear breach of international law. We have seen this playbook in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not about regime change for the people of Iran; it is about regime change for US and Israeli interests. You do not bomb a school, killing hundreds of children, while claiming to stand for peace. Israel is bombing Lebanon. It is continuing its genocidal war in Gaza. The Government must call this out for what it is. It is wrong, illegal and it will not bring peace. This is about neocolonialism in the 21st century. It is about control over oil, resources and countries. This is about two out-of-control bully boys and warmongers, Trump and Netanyahu, who are trying to reshape the world in their dystopian view of what humanity should be. It is not about peace. Why is the Government cowering in silence? Why will it not condemn this illegal war and the US-Israeli bombing of Iran? Why will it not condemn it? The Government knows Trump is just distracting from his domestic failures and from his population, which is suffering from a cost-of-living crisis while billionaires rake in more and more. Thousands are being killed and the lives of Irish peacekeepers are being put in danger, as well as thousands of Irish people in the region. The Government must stand up, condemn this breach of international law and take the action that shows we - and I know it is where the people of Ireland want us to be - are on the side of peace. It is about us asserting a neutrality that stands for peace, not facilitating warmongers. We know our airspace and airports are being used by the US military and Israel to facilitate the transport of weapons. How can we stand over this? The Irish people do not agree with it. We are calling on the Government to stop all US and Israeli military use of Irish airspace and airports. Caithfidh an Rialtas stop a chur le húsáid aerspás agus aerfoirt na hÉireann ag fórsaí mileáta na Stát Aontaithe agus Iosrael. We must implement the occupied territories Bill. That is an action the Government could take right now and it would send a message that we stand on the side of peace. The Government should send a message of solidarity to the Spanish Government that we stand with Spain, with a Spanish Prime Minister who is willing and brave enough to call this out as what it is, a breach of international law. Least of all, how in God's name can Ireland play Israel in a game of soccer with a genocidal war going on? The Government should support the FAI to boycott that game that will legitimise apartheid and a genocidal war. We can build an alternative to this dystopian world of ever increasing war and invasion. What is Trump and Netanyahu's endgame? There is none. It is endless war, bombing, taking over countries, people being killed and children being murdered. There has to be an alternative and Ireland, with its history, knows the impact of colonialism and imperialism. There is an alternative. It is the United Nations, our neutrality and standing with governments like the Spanish one and calling it out for what it is. It is wrong. It is illegal. Of course, there is an alternative. Bombs do not bring peace; negotiations and diplomacy do. Investing in and supporting people brings about peace. The Government should be leading a genuine movement for peace, bringing governments together that want to rebuild the United Nations as a place that can create peace. Ireland cannot be complicit in another illegal war for oil. We will not stand for it. The people of Ireland do not want to see that. The other aspect of this that needs to be called out is the cost-of-living crisis. This war is now putting us into a cost-of-living crisis on top of a cost-of-living crisis. The Tánaiste said earlier that the Government will keep under review how it responds, acting as though there were not already a cost-of-living crisis going on. There are 320,000 people in arrears on their electricity bills. One in every four gas customers is in arrears. People are having to choose between eating and heating. Why is the Government not immediately moving to implement the targeted energy credit we proposed, along with a cost-of-disability payment, an emergency payment? These are two things it could do right now. With the cost-of-living crisis, people will be choosing tonight - they are already choosing - between heating and eating. The cost-of-living crisis is out of control and this war, with the spike in prices, will make it worse, in particular when we do not have protections against the profit-gouging and price-gouging that is going on. The Government is only using words. We have not seen real action to tackle that. We know profit- and price-gouging are going on. We have seen it, we are living it and the Government must take action to stand up and ensure the people of Ireland do not pay for Trump's war.

Sentiment score: -0.12