International Developments: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-06
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Laura Harmon (LAB), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I want to start by talking about how the world is seen through the eyes of a child. This was very illuminating to me recently. I was doing some school visits in Cork and visited a primary school in Crosshaven, where I spoke to some girls. I always ask pupils what they know about politics and who they know who is a politician. Of course, they all know Donald Trump, unfortunately, because of the attention paid to him in the media. My visit was shortly after St. Patrick’s Day and the Taoiseach had been to the White House. There was a debate around that. We asked what would have happened if the Taoiseach had not gone to the White House. One of the girls, who must have been about ten years old, said he would have bombed us all. I am not saying that is a correct statement but that it is extremely worrying that there are children growing up in this country now who are watching footage of conflict consistently. They do not feel safe and feel the world is very volatile. Donald Trump is not the leader of the free world. We need to hold the US and Israel to account. We have a responsibility to do so not only for our own citizens but also for all the other citizens across the globe who are facing inequality and destruction because of narcissists and authoritarians in power.
I thought it was very interesting that children do not feel safe growing up. They see conflict every day on the news, from Gaza and Lebanon to Sudan and Ukraine, and they are very exposed to it. We see tension escalating in Iran and we are witnessing devastating consequences of war, authoritarianism, genocide, displacement and the absolute erosion of international law. Ireland might be a small country but its voice absolutely matters when it is principled, consistent and rooted in international solidarity.
On Palestine, what we have been witnessing is a genocide. Unfortunately, the Irish Government has not done enough. We have not enacted the occupied territories Bill, covering services. Why is there such a delay? It is such a shame that the Government did not pass the arms embargo Bill in this Chamber a number of weeks ago. We had very sensible proposals from the Opposition. International law cannot be conditional. No state should be placed beyond accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.
We must also address the dangerous escalation involving Iran. It is entirely possible, indeed necessary, to condemn the repression and brutality of the Iranian regime, including its appalling treatment of women, trade unionists and pro-democracy activists, while also insisting that international law be upheld by all states, including the rights of Iranian civilians, who should not be subjected to illegal wars.
We cannot support a politics of endless military escalation. The lessons of Iraq must never be forgotten. Diplomacy and de-escalation must almost always take precedence over actions that risk plunging regions and the world into wider catastrophe.
Ireland has rightly shown solidarity with Ukraine. We must continue to do that. Silence in the face of suffering is not neutrality. We absolutely need to bear that in mind when we are talking about upholding our neutrality in Ireland.

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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