Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2026-02-19 ============================================================ Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow I do not agree with the Deputy's view in relation to the football game. Our position in relation to Gaza, the genocidal activity there and the horrors the people of Palestine have experienced is very clear, as are the views of the Irish Government and the people of Ireland in relation to the horrific terrorist organisation that is Hamas and the terrorist attack it carried out. We continue to take active steps almost every day to try to assist in practical ways. My colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence, was at the Rafah crossing in recent weeks, where she announced on our behalf a significant increase in funding. That is an example of a direct action we can take. We have recognised the State of Palestine, stood by UNRWA and increased our support for it. We hosted a conference on the two-state solution in Dublin Castle only last month. We continue to work for a two-state solution. We continue to recognise the Palestinian State and support the Palestinian people in their legitimate aspiration to have their own state. However, when it comes to sport, we also have to think this through logically. The FAI, the governing body of Irish soccer, took a view as to what should happen in relation to Israel's participation. It canvassed and conveyed that view, as is its right. I do not run sporting organisations. UEFA decided not to take that view on board. The tournament is going ahead. If Ireland pulls out, what does that achieve other than to damage Irish soccer and participation in sport? While I am not suggesting the Deputy has done this, I do not like what I am seeing happening now, which is that pressure is being applied to individual players. They are being asked whether they are going to play and told they should not. We should be supporting the men who are putting on the green jersey and who represent our country with distinction. They have a couple of crucial games coming up in relation to the World Cup. We have to go back to our childhood, or I certainly do, to remember when we were last this close to having that opportunity. Sport is sport. I never expected Deputy Coppinger to reference Charles Haughey in an admirable light but she has. However, I believe this is a separate and distinct issue. I really do know that this is a challenging issue for many people. I know the depth of feeling in this country. I share that depth of feeling but this is about the Irish soccer team. I want the boys in green to put on the jersey and win. I want them to win the game. I want to support the soccer team. I do not want to apply pressure to the team or to individual players. I reckon there are many people, including people in grassroots community organisations such as soccer academies in the Deputy's own community, who also want to see the team play. If we pull out, we will feel better for five minutes but who actually suffers? It is not the Israeli football team. It is Irish soccer. It is not a wise thing to do. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-19/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-19