I welcome Councillor Dermot Lacey to the Chamber. It is always good to see a councillor in the room. I am very aware of how hard councillors work. I thank Senators Boyhan, Keogan, Craughwell and McDowell for using their group's Private Members' time to bring forward this really important and timely motion. It has my full support, and I am grateful for the opportunity provided by it and by the work of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee, of which I am a part. This is about talking about the need to revitalise a…

I, too, want to speak about Palestine and the horrific resumption of bombing after the brief truce. It is absolutely heart-shattering. That is the only way I can describe it. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the past few days. It was reported this morning that one child is being murdered every ten minutes in Gaza. The Israelis are now stepping up their bombing campaigns in southern Gaza, the place they told civilians to flee to at the outset of the invasion. There is literally nowhere to go and nowhere …

I thank the councillors involved for their bravery and commitment in reflecting the views of their constituents, and it is time for us here in Leinster House who are involved in national politics to follow their lead.

I note and commend the comments made by the Taoiseach that Israel's response is "approaching revenge" and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris's description of Israel's actions as a "war on children". Those comments show that they understand the extent of the violence unleashed on civilians in Gaza and the depth of the Irish public's revulsion at Israel's war crimes. I want to address the motions from the Social Democrats and Sinn Féin in the Dáil toda…

Israel's cruel carpet bombing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza has captured the attention of the world. Israeli forces have killed twice as many Palestinian children in Gaza over the past month than the total number of Palestinian children killed in the West Bank and Gaza since 1967. A total of 4,237 children have been murdered in the past month. It is horrific. Today I want to speak about what is happening in the West Bank and we must not ignore the increasingly dire situation there. Illegal Israeli settlements ha…

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I begin by saying how proud I am to have been one of the co-sponsors of this really important piece of legislation alongside my Civil Engagement Group colleagues. However, I have to say all praise is owed to my colleague and friend, Senator Lynn Ruane and to Robert in her office, to Brian and her whole team, and the incredible coalition of experts and activists that Senator Ruane assembled to advance this Bill. I also say well done to the Minister and his Department for the work he has done on this. Senator Ruane i…

The Minister of State is very welcome. I also welcome the officials from the Department and thank them for all the work they do. This is a really important issue. I welcome to the Gallery Professor Colin Harvey, a professor of human rights law at Queen's University Belfast and a commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The situation in the North of Ireland is not getting the attention it deserves but I totally understand why. There are many other issues at the moment. However, there is a prot…

The Minister of State is very welcome. Obviously, the attacks on innocent Israeli citizens have to be condemned by all right-thinking people. I echo this condemnation. However, I am acutely aware that while we sit here debating the correct language to use and the correct diplomatic approach to take, genocide is unfolding before our eyes. Israel's defence minister described the people of Gaza as human animals in order to justify his decision to ignore international law and pursue a policy of collective punishment th…

I want to talk about two brilliant and kind young women, two wonderful sisters who have worked in the Oireachtas. Yara Alagha used to work for the Civil Engagement Group and her sister Lara still works for the Green Party. This morning ten members of the Alagha family were killed by an Israeli bombing of their house in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. I am trying not to get emotional and I ask the House to bear with me. I would like to request a moment of silence to remember them and to mark this House’s expression o…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 8, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “ “automated means” means the use of any algorithm, recommender system, or other automated system which uses data processing, machine learning, or other artificial intelligence techniques to make decisions or suggest information to users;”. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is lovely to see him. This set of amendments addresses something that is very much an emerging concern in the realm of arms control, which is the d…

I am disappointed to hear the Minister of State will not be accepting our amendments. This is a human rights issue. The Minister of State has heard many of the people I have spoken about speak on the issue. It is worrying. Ireland should not allow the export of such items or their transfer through this State because of those human rights issues. I am disappointed to hear the Minister of State's position but there is nothing I can do about it.

I move amendment No. 3: In page 8, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: “ “Convention” means the Convention on Cluster Munitions adopted in Dublin in May 2008 which Ireland is party to;”. This set of amendments relates to Ireland's international obligations as a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Ireland played a key role in the negotiation of the convention and it is one particular example of the extremely positive role our neutrality can play in the promotion of peace, multilateralism and …

I look forward to engaging with the Minister of State on this.

I move amendment No. 5: In page 11, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following: “ “relevant occupied territory” means a territory which is occupied within the meaning of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and which has been— (a) confirmed as such in a decision or advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, (b) confirmed as such in a decision of the International Criminal Court, (c) confirmed as such in a decision of an international tribunal, or (d) recognised as such by a resolution of both Houses of th…

Would I be right in saying the Minister of State is open to discussing the issue before he makes a final decision?

I appreciate that.

Ireland does not want to be complicit in breaking international law. We have to be mindful of that at all times. What is happening in the occupied territories is that international law is being broken. We must be mindful of not breaking international law. Ireland is meant to be a neutral country, which I believe is one of our core values. I urge the Minister of State to consider the amendment. We do not want to be complicit in breaking international law. That is very important. We have always stood up for basic hum…