Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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19. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the Palestinian state's representative to Ireland. [25589/24]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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20. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the Palestinian state's representative to Ireland. [26277/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 20 together.

I was very pleased to have had the honour to meet with the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Ireland on 6 June. The ambassador told me it was the first time a Palestinian representative had been welcomed to the office of the Taoiseach. The ambassador was very gracious in acknowledging the work of the Government and Ireland in the context of recognising the State of Palestine, describing the step we took jointly with Spain and Norway as a source of strength, hope and light for the people of Palestine that put her country on a different level in the world’s perception. I reiterated that Ireland’s foreign policy is guided by international law and human rights and that this also guided our decision to recognise the State of Palestine, which deserves to take its place among the nations of the world, an objective now shared by the overwhelming majority of member states of the United Nations.

We spoke about ongoing efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional and immediate release of hostages. The onus is on all parties to engage constructively in these efforts to bring about a ceasefire plan and to work to bring this devastating conflict to an end. We spoke about the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially the desperate catastrophe unfolding there. We also spoke about increased tensions in the West Bank and the activities of violent settlers there. We discussed concerns that the current conflict will result in the radicalisation of young people, both in the occupied territories and in Israel.

The ambassador assured me that the people of Palestine, like people everywhere, want nothing more than to live in peace and security, to raise and educate their families, and to see a better future for young Palestinians than this and previous generations have known. I assured her that recognition was not the end of a process, and that Ireland will continue to work with all who wish to see a peaceful and secure Israel living alongside a peaceful and secure Palestine. Only a peace based on a two-state solution can be just and lasting. We will continue our work with Arab and European partners to support the Arab Peace Vision, and to generate momentum towards achieving the two-state-solution. Our immediate focus remains on the urgent pursuit of a ceasefire, the release of hostages and a surge in unhindered humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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"It is incredibly disappointing to know that in the university I’ve been attending for years that the research of peers is potentially being used to promote and assist in a genocide". Those are the words of UCC student Ainsley-Kay Rucker after the UCC boycott divestment sanctions group discovered links between UCC's Tyndall Institute and the Israeli war machine. Tyndall is part of the PHORMIC Horizon Europe project. This is a consortium of eight partners working to develop programmable photonic chips. The Israeli partner is Mellanox Technologies. Its parent company, NVIDIA, makes chips that are used in the Lanius military drone, which is produced by Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems and used in Gaza. Will the Taoiseach join me in calling on UCC and all Irish universities to sever their links with companies that are part of the Israeli war machine or which profit from Israel's bloody occupation?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is and was a welcome step, belatedly, to recognise the Palestinian state. If it is not going to be more than hollow symbolism something has to follow that assists the Palestinian people in liberating themselves from a regime that is capable of committing what the International Court of Justice believes is a plausible genocide and which most reasonable people think is a genocide.

Any reasonable assessment of Israel's behaviour over its entire history is that it seeks to normalise the utterly indefensible. It seeks to normalise ethnic cleansing, the annexation of territory and the brutal military action in territories that it occupies and that it has besieged for 17 years. Now what it is doing is normalising the massacre in Gaza. There is chatter about peace but Israel just says it is not doing peace or a ceasefire and that it will keep going.

It is the impunity that Israel has enjoyed for normalising horror, massacre, ethnic cleansing and apartheid that allows it to continue to think it can ratchet this up. At what point does the world say that the state capable of this is not a normal state, is not the sort of state we should be trading with and is not the sort of state in which our universities should be doing business or engaging in partnerships with arms manufacturers providing Israel with the means to do what it is doing? Is there any level of atrocity that Israel has to commit before we say it has gone beyond the realm of normal political practice and maybe we must reconsider our relationship with the state in the way we eventually did with apartheid South Africa? I am just asking whether there is a point because at this moment it is all words. There are no sanctions or actions. There is nothing to deter this regime from continuing to massacre Palestinians.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I commend the life of Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, the voice of the GAA and, at times with a touch of magic, the voice of Ireland. I also recognise the contribution to journalism of Tommie Gorman, particularly at what was a very difficult and important time for Ireland as regards the peace process. I had a great conversation with him one day on the basis of shared Sligo connections. I want to remember both men. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse.

When we speak about Palestine and Israel we only need to switch on the news and we can see there have been two air strikes in Gaza city on two Palestinian schools. This is the reality that Palestinians deal with. In Ireland, we have been on the right side of the argument. We all welcome the recognition of the State of Palestine, but we need to follow up on this. We need to see sanctions and divestment.

It does not matter to me whether that is by means of Sinn Féin's legislation or some other way. We need to make sure it happens with all agencies, colleges and organisations with which there are any connections.

On the Government's engagement with Arab and European partners, how can we progress matters? That is about calling out and putting pressure on Israel and about putting pressure on those who are still arming and equipping Israel as it massacres the Palestinians. We still fear what lies ahead. We need to be part of positive action, and there needs to be action. We need to impose sanctions and see what we can do with our partners to do more. That is what the world needs us to do.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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While I acknowledge, on one hand, that Deputy Boyd Barrett welcomed, albeit he said we did it belatedly, our recognition of the State of Palestine, I do not believe that anyone sees it as hollow symbolism. I accept the point and the debate about the need to do more and the questions as to what comes next and how we can continue to apply maximum pressure. These parliamentary questions relate to engagement with the ambassador. From speaking to the ambassador, the President of the Palestinian Authority and many leaders in the region, including presidents, kings and prime ministers, I do not think anyone sees it as hollow symbolism. Israel does not see it as that either. It was a significant step that Ireland, Norway and Spain took, and certainly one that goes beyond symbolism.

I have clearly said that the world, Ireland and the European Union, of which we are a part, need to do more. That is why we are looking for a review of the trade agreement between Israel and the European Union - the association agreement. It has been a consistent policy of the Government of Ireland since March that this should be reviewed. I made the point again last week at the European Council and I will make it again on Thursday and Friday next at the European Council. For people looking in at home and those watching the scenes of horror relating to the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, I do not want anyone to think that the Government believes that we have done our bit by recognising the State of Palestine. We need to continue to work multilaterally to apply the maximum amount of pressure to bring about the conditions required for a ceasefire. There is a ceasefire plan now and it needs to be followed. There is an opportunity to stop the violence right now with that ceasefire plan. No plan is perfect, but the importance of it is that it would stop the violence, the killing and the brutality, get the aid in and the hostages home and provide space for the political dialogue that is always required to bring about peaceful settlement. We know on this island that ultimately the way peace is achieved is through the ending of violence and through dialogue and settlement.

I was not aware of the specific issue of the Tyndall National Institute and UCC. That is the honest truth of the matter. I will look into it. Universities have been actively considering these matters. We have seen it happen on a number of university campuses, led by students. I have never felt it is my role to direct university research, because of academic freedom and such, but I know universities reflect on it seriously for the reasons Deputy Barry raised and due to the views of their students and staff who have clear views on this issue.

I assure Deputy Ó Murchú - I do not wish to repeat myself - that we continue to look with partners into what more we can do to help to bring about an immediate ceasefire. We have taken a number of actions, some of which the Deputy welcomed, including divestment. His view is that we need to do more. I will take a look at the specific Sinn Féin proposals and come back to him in writing on where they may or may not work.