On 14 November last year, when deputising in the position the Taoiseach now holds, he said that Israel had been blinded by rage and warned that peace could not be built on the graves of children. In the almost six months since then, the lives of 15,780 children have been lost. As we sit here today, the invasion of Rafah is impending. Rhetoric has been strong from the Irish State - there is no doubt about that – but what tangible actions are we taking to hold Israel to account for the crimes it is inflicting on the people of Gaza?

My comments then are even more so my comments now. What we are seeing in terms of civilian casualties, children, women and civilian infrastructure, is unbearable and there needs to be an immediate cessation. We have taken a number of practical measures. We have given significant support to humanitarian aid including to UNWRA at a time when other countries pulled back. We have been only one of two countries seeking a review of the association agreement on its human rights clauses at EU level. I raised that at my first European Council meeting and my first bilateral meeting with President von der Leyen and will continue to do so. We are also moving ahead with recognising the state of Palestine shortly. I believe that is an important practical step we can take. You cannot have a two-state solution if you do not believe in recognising there are two states.