The Deputy tends to be very accusatory, negative and undermining of everything the Government does in respect of anything to do with Palestine.

The Deputy's tone was wrong. The Department of Foreign Affairs has been extremely supportive, as have I and successive Ministers, in respect of fellowships for students from Palestine. We have been for quite a number of years. I do not know the precise detail or background of the issue the Deputy raised. She did not approach me previously about it. I will examine the matter, and will intervene and see what is going on in respect of it. I am sure, however, there is no intention to send anyone back to Gaza right now-…

-----given that the Department of Foreign Affairs facilitated getting hundreds of Irish citizens and their dependants out of Gaza. There should be a bit of fair play from the Deputy.

We are a Department that applies humanitarian approaches to these issues.

I will find out. I have not seen-----

-----the details of that. I will find out what is happening and get it sorted.

I am grateful for the opportunity to talk about the current state of the world, Ireland's place in the world and our country's policy of military neutrality. Given the language used in the motion, it is useful to begin with an examination of what we mean when we talk about military neutrality. Simply put, our policy of military neutrality, as practised by successive Governments, means that Ireland does not participate in military alliances or common or mutual defence arrangements. I have discussed this many times i…

It is absolutely dishonest to suggest that.

I did not interrupt anyone. A little courtesy and parliamentary decorum is called for from Deputy Murphy from time to time.

The Deputy hates when the truth is told. In reality, the Government's proposed modification of the triple lock does not impact in any way on our policy of military neutrality. In fact, the proposed changes will serve to reinforce Ireland’s ability to pursue an independent foreign policy, by removing the power of UN Security Council permanent members to veto our national sovereign decisions. It will mean that Ireland, which is militarily neutral, will no longer need to seek the permission of Russia, China, Britain, …

They will identify the United States all of the time. That is fine. I do not believe US foreign policy is correct in all areas, but I recognise the huge Irish-American diaspora. I do not believe in boycotting Hewlett-Packard or Intel. The Deputies opposite would cause the loss of thousands of jobs in this country, if their reckless policies were pursued. I do not believe in doing that. I do not believe that United Nations Security Council members should have a veto on our participation in peacekeeping. This is not …

-----or definition of neutrality-----

I am talking about a general debate. We know what happens-----

-----in referendums and so on. Third, in the view of the Government, the motion fails to adequately reflect the reality of the situation in terms of the use of Shannon Airport. I know this is a hardy perennial for the Deputies opposite, but as the Government has repeatedly set out, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require diplomatic clearance. This is subject to strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed and carries no arms, ammunition or explosives. It is also …

Let me reiterate once again that there are no transports of weaponry via Shannon or any other Irish airport to Israel, nor are the US troops transiting Shannon going to Israel or any other active conflict. In short, from a Government perspective, the motion as presented is ill-conceived, partisan and inherently problematic. It fails to demonstrate an understanding of what the policy of military neutrality actually means. It completely neglects the security risks that Europe and Ireland face today. The proposal, in …

Last year's consultative forum was a very important forum. What was striking were the attempts of the Deputies opposite to stop it from ever happening. That fundamentally undermined democracy itself. There is already strong intolerance of democracy from the Deputies opposite. It is their way or the highway. Ireland's position on the Middle East over the past three decades and more has been principled, informed by the desire to get peace, and supportive of the humanitarian needs of Palestinians. We have raised the i…

That is the truth.

It has always puzzled me why Sinn Féin's-----

-----social media platforms were never used extensively to promote its ideas around Palestine. Those are the realities.

Sinn Féin's main focus in the United States is fundraising not raising issues around foreign policy.