International Developments: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-06 ============================================================ Patricia Stephenson (SD), Labour Panel I welcome the Minister of State. I mean no shade or disrespect to him, but it is disappointing for Senators when a Minister related to the relevant Department is not here. I know that is not his doing, but I want to note that for the record. Perhaps the Cathaoirleach or Leas-Chathaoirleach could communicate to the Leader that we do not always get the correct Minister for the brief or for Commencement matters or debates. Obviously, that limits the meaningful engagement we can have with the Department. This relates to how the Seanad is treated more broadly. In the context of the US and Israel's illegal war in Iran and Iran's retaliatory strikes, the inexplicable decision of the US to ease sanctions on Russia as a result of that war, the ongoing genocide and E1 plan to steal even more Palestinian land on the West Bank, the bombing of civilians and general instability across the world, it is important we reflect on Ireland's role in that and how Ireland can contribute to peace by sustaining an ecosystem of accountability under international law. We have seen the erosion of the multilateral order, attacks by known aggressors like Russia and Israel and our traditional allies the US, and the UN being totally undermined. What we have not seen in any meaningful way is that erosion being met with a commitment from a broad coalition of leaders to defend the multilateral system, which is worrying. Ireland should lead the way in upholding international law and that involves moving beyond words and into action. The best way we can do this is by implementing international law and creating an ecosystem of accountability. In practice, that looks like enacting the occupied territories Bill, a Bill which would ensure we meet our obligations under international law and provide a pathway to peace for the Palestinian people through holding the Israeli state accountable for its illegal actions. Creating an ecosystem of accountability means standing up to defend Francesca Albanese and the eight International Criminal Court justices and three prosecutors who have been sanctioned by the US for their human rights work defending the right to life of Palestinians. Why is Ireland not calling loudly for the EU blocking mechanism to be activated to protect EU citizens who are fulfilling their mandate under international law from the impact of US sanctions? An ecosystem of accountability means that we must be willing to examine our actions, including the use of Irish airspace and airports by the US military while it conducts its illegal war on Iran, creating misery for people in the Middle East and, more broadly, creating misery for people across the world because of the fuel crisis. Why are we still allowing the use of our airspace in those contexts? Creating an ecosystem of accountability means asking ourselves whether we are fully compliant with our obligations under international law and obligations to the people of Ireland as a neutral country. There is a belief in some quarters that Ireland is so small that we cannot meaningfully challenge the actions of larger powers or influence other countries, but I do not buy that argument. Historically, Ireland has had an outsized influence on global politics, in particular peace, most notably with Frank Aiken and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and we can do the same today when it comes to defending the multilateral system. However, to do this, we actually have to practise what we preach and put those commitments into action. This is not about Ireland, in one dramatic act, changing the course of global events; it is about whether we choose to play our part. It is not about just one country acting alone; it is about building on collective action through consistent principled stances taken by many member states over time. We have seen countries doing that. Spain has shown moral courage by banning Israel-bound ships and aircraft transporting munitions from transiting through Spanish airspace and ports. While we say we uphold international law, we have not done the same as Spain has. It has banned individuals who have directly participated in the genocide in Gaza from entering the country. Slovenia has imposed an arms embargo. Spain, Slovenia, Belgium and the Netherlands have prevented trade with the illegal Israeli settlements. Ireland should be leading on a principled coalition of like-minded countries to uphold international law in the face of these violations. That is how we contribute to an ecosystem of accountability. We have not done that yet. The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, talked about the importance of the UN system and, while I utterly agree with him, I would like to know specifically what Ireland has done on the question of UN Security Council reform. What active actions are we taking to reform UN Security Council challenges? Where is the occupied territories Bill and when we can expect it to be delivered? --- 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/seanad/2026-05-06/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:54+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-06