Today marks the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, which saw 15,000 Palestinians killed and 750,000 more expelled. The seven and a half decades since then have been marked, on the one hand, by the repeated breach by Israel of international laws and, on the other, by the failure of the international community to hold that state accountable for those breaches. The world, has, in essence, given Israel licence to disregard international humanitarian law and the UN Charter. In recent times, this has been evident through settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and in attempts to undermine the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, and diminish the status of Palestinian refugees. All of these actions have proceeded without sanction and, indeed, without consequence. Today, the world watches as Israel conducts a genocide against the people of Gaza. The questions people all over the globe are asking are: will this time be different? Will Israel will face consequences?

What actual consequence will the Government impose on Israel for its actions in Palestine?

The Tánaiste said this morning that Ireland will recognise the state of Palestine by the end of this month. That is a very important step. As the Deputy said, EU member states and the international community have made it clear that an Israeli military operation in Rafah will inevitably lead to disastrous humanitarian consequences and the deaths of large numbers of innocent civilians. We urge Israel to cease its operation in Rafah immediately and avoid further escalation. Israel must facilitate safe, unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza, including by way of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. We are working with our EU partners. The European Council adopted conclusions on the situation in Israel and Gaza at its meeting in March. The Council urged Israel not to undertake a ground operation in Rafah.