Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-21
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I thank the Deputy. I fully agree with him and everybody in this House, in that I am equally appalled by the actions of the Israeli Government in the detention of our citizens and many others in international waters but in particular the footage we saw yesterday that clearly shows that people were not treated with basic human dignity or respect. As I said to the Deputy's colleague earlier, if this is the way that European citizens are being treated, we can only imagine the way in which many other citizens have been treated. I also agree with the Deputy that this is not just the first action by any one minister. The comments by Prime Minister Netanyahu really are hollow because this is just another action to add to a series of actions.
We see ongoing conflict in Gaza. Even though there is supposed to be a ceasefire, hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed. We are seeing a continued lack of aid and a blockading of aid getting to innocent civilians who are starving and who need this humanitarian aid. We are seeing a significant expansion in settler violence. Hundreds of thousands of people - not small villages or towns - are being displaced. We are seeing the death penalty being reintroduced and very public celebration of public trials and executions, all of which are completely against international law and completely intolerable for each and every one of us in this Chamber.
Over the past few months, I have been building on the work that was done last year to try to build a consensus on how we can respond effectively at an EU level because I agree with the Deputy. Our words are not enough. I condemn the actions but that is not enough. We now need to show what we mean by our actions. I have been building a consensus and working to put more actions on the table that we can vote on and show that we are serious at an EU level. That came to pass last week when a proposal from the Commission that had been on the table last year was reintroduced at the request of myself and my Spanish and Slovenian colleagues. It proposed to impose sanctions on violent settlers in the West Bank and those in the Israeli Government who support them as well as the leaders of Hamas who have carried out atrocities in recent years. That proposal was agreed, passed and will come into effect.
I am now asking and pushing for a vote at the next Foreign Affairs Council, specifically on the suspension of the trade elements of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This is an agreement that gives preferential treatment to Israel. If this element was suspended, it would impact the Israeli economy by billions of euro. It would send a very strong signal that we are serious, not just in our words but in pushing back on the atrocious actions that have been taken by the Israeli Government, many of which are in breach of international law.
On the occupied territories Bill, I have given a very clear commitment today that I will bring forward the legislation. I will not just bring it forward but will enact it. I look forward to working with colleagues across the House to make sure we can enact it as soon as possible. That is in tandem with the work I will continue to do at an EU level to try to build that consensus and make sure the EU is stronger in its response because, to date, it has not been and I think we all accept that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-21