I accept that. I do not disagree with the point and I know the specifics of the case but there is no easy resolution of all of this. However, I will revert to the Ministers concerned to see if anything can be done in this specific case. There is reflection needed across the House on where we are. We are seeing changing weather patterns. This morning, we had questions on tillage and so on and how our food production system is now being impacted by the weather patterns but also human survival in given locations. I wi…

I thank Deputy Carthy for raising the question. In Gaza, Palestinian civilians are living in conditions that no human being should have to endure. Gaza is on the brink of a man-made famine. Every day without a ceasefire brings this truly horrific prospect ever closer. I share the deep concerns of this House about the current war and it must end. This is why, every day, my focus remains on achieving an immediate ceasefire. I remain equally focused on the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and o…

That reply was not one that has been issued for the past number of months or years. If Deputy Carthy listened to it carefully he would see that. All of us in the House have to make a decision on whether we just want to be performative or we want to be impactful. I believe we want to be impactful. The Arab peace initiative is fairly imminent. I believe it is dependent on a ceasefire and we need a ceasefire urgently. We have been working with our colleagues, in terms of those who have been putting together the Arab p…

I never said Deputy Carthy was disingenuous. I do not know where he invented that from. I did not use it at all in my reply.

I did not interrupt Deputy Carthy. I have to correct a false assertion that he made. What I did say was that there is a difference between being performative and being impactful. I respectfully suggest, through the Chair, that Deputy Carthy's tendency is to the former. He is into performance on this and into rhetoric and soundbite. He does not give credit for, or acknowledge, the Government's genuine interest in developing this, in particular on the recognition question in terms of doing it optimally and with impac…

I will firstly respond to the question Deputy Howlin has asked about an independent investigation into the deaths of more than 100 Palestinians as they sought aid in Gaza by saying that like him, I am appalled by the horrible deaths of Palestinians queuing for aid in Gaza City last week. I join the calls made by EU High Representative Borrell and UN Secretary General Guterres, among others, for a credible and impartial investigation to establish the facts of this appalling incident. Those responsible must to be hel…

One of the factors in that appalling incident last week concerning the more than 100 people who were killed was a breakdown in the social order. In my view Israel bears responsibility for that. A number of Gazan policemen were targeted. They were there to at least try and organise the distribution of aid for the UN agencies and then they were targeted by Israeli forces, so they have withdrawn from that. People are desperate. What we are witnessing is understandable desperation on the part of many families. When the…

I think we have taken every step open to us in this regard. We showed leadership when UNRWA first came under threat. We were one of the first to come out and say-----

It is, and to undermine it. A significant decision was communicated to us by the President of the European Commission, and this happened directly on account of our stance on the issue. Canada has now followed in restoring aid to UNRWA, so the dial is shifting in that regard. The key issue is that the international community has to put as much pressure on as possible and keep the pressure on to get the trucks into Gaza and, if necessary, to come up with mechanisms - be they international UN forces or whatever - to e…

First, I continue to engage with my European Union counterparts on the crisis in the Middle East. I have made Ireland's position on the conflict clear at the Foreign Affairs Council. I have consistently urged the European Union to support an immediate ceasefire and to impose sanctions on violent Israeli settlers. I called on the European Commission and on European Union partners to restore funding to UNRWA and I welcome the recent announcement by the Commission to provide an immediate €50 million in funding to UNRW…

There have been different views across the European Union for a considerable length of time on the Middle East and particularly on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Because of history going back to the Second World War, the Holocaust and so on, people, particularly in Germany but also elsewhere, look at the conflict through a different lens from others in Europe, including ourselves. We have worked within the European Union with others and with other like-minded states to change the narrative and to try to…

It is not long since the Deputy and his party were making admirable comments about President Ursula von der Leyen in this very Chamber.

I am not into the demonisation of individuals. I would say, on the credit side, that President von der Leyen was impactful in respect of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was very well handled by the European Commission and nobody can deny that. When I was Minister for Health in the early 2000s, Europe was at nowhere near that level of cohesion, as Deputy Howlin would agree, in terms of getting industry together and getting Europe together to have one vaccine production system of which everybody could avail. That was an…

Are you changing? I heard you might be changing.

You are in a fairly dodgy group.

I will answer the Deputy's full question as it is presented in terms of the killing of a journalist. Ireland is committed to upholding the UN Charter and the rules-based international order. These principles underpin Ireland's international engagement across the board, including in respect of media freedom, the protection of journalists and the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression. Following the killing of the Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin in May 2022, Ireland was proact…

In respect of the death of Alexei Navalny, the summoning of the Russian ambassador was part of a Europe-wide co-ordinated action connected with his death, the suppression of any dissent in Russia and the manner in which he was treated by the Russian authorities that led to his death. Russia was responsible for his death. Diplomacy and diplomatic channels are about communicating the Irish position in no uncertain terms through an ambassador to his or her government. We know that Israel has communicated to our ambass…

I have already given some details. In particular, we focused on the humanitarian situation, the responsibility of Israel and the 100 people who were killed seeking food and aid. There is no doubt that if there was gunfire, people were shot. We want an investigation into that. We asked Israel to stop undermining UNRWA and to understand that UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian aid, including educational supports, medical supports and food, in Gaza, and that aid cannot be distributed in Gaza without going through UN…

On 5 March, the Government approved the opening of five new missions. This is the latest step in the expansion of the State’s diplomatic and consular network. The new missions are embassies in Belgrade, Sarajevo and Chisinau and consulates general in Malága and Melbourne. This expansion is being undertaken within the context of the Global Ireland programme, which aims to see Ireland’s global footprint and influence double in the period to 2025. These five new missions will bring to 27 the number of missions opened …

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