Richard Boyd Barrett: Is the EU Complicit in Gaza Atrocities?

Taoiseach, I'm involved with a coalition of Palestine advocacy groups, anti-war groups and others who are planning protests around the forthcoming EU presidency, particularly around really the shameful, inexcusable complicity of the European Union as an institution and as individual states with Israel's ongoing genocidal crimes against the Palestinian people. And wouldn't people really be right to protest? I mean can you explain to me how it is in any way acceptable that any state, including our state, but states across Europe, continue to do business, trade and in some case involved in arms, including this country as we know which you'll use, exports. You'll use exports that went to the IDF, 20 million worth, going to the IDF. How can that be? Thank you Deputy. That's time is up. Deputy Murphy. Deputy Murphy, one minute too. But I would make this point that, and there's other questions isn't this, that Europe remains the largest donor to Palestine of any entity across the world and to Palestinians more generally. It remains the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority, significantly more than its neighbours. So yes, there are issues in terms of the inability of Europe to develop a consensus on Israeli atrocities in Gaza, but Europe has been to the forefront in providing continued range of supports and there's been a lack of access to Gaza. I think it's quite extraordinary that international authorities and powers bar the UN and others have not been allowed into Gaza, that the international media have not been allowed into Gaza to witness the horrors that have unfolded and that is something I've been consistently pushing for. Deputy Boyd-Barrer also raised this issue and I reassert that point that there are positives to the European contribution to Palestine as well which we should not lose sight of and so for example it's arguable that without the European Union the Palestinian Authority would be in even greater difficulty because Israel has withheld all revenues that are legitimately owed to the Palestinian Authority which is impairing its capacity to deliver services in the West Bank and there's greater encroachment in the West Bank which needs very urgent attention from the international community because it's going to render non-viable if it continues the prospect of a two-state solution. I think we have to be careful of the word complicit in genesis, it's a wonderful slogan to articulate but I think it's unfair. Some countries support Israel but not all do and many EU member states do not and that is increasing and I think we just need to keep working and make, you know, the pressure has to be on Israel, not on Ireland or not on other governments who are doing everything they can to put the pressure on Israel. No, it's just a fair point.