Everybody welcomes the formal recognition of the state of Palestine. I also recognise and welcome the departure of the Israeli ambassador. Although she has been called back by her country for discussions, we should formally expel her and keep her out. The reason, as the Taoiseach more or less acknowledged, is that after seven months of genocidal massacre in Gaza, the Government has been forced to recognise the state of Palestine years after it said it would do so. There are also years and years of illegal occupation, of apartheid, and rule by a state that does not have the right to exist. This is not a normal state. The State of Israel needs to have sanctions imposed on it, it needs to be boycotted, and the Israeli ambassador needs to be expelled from this country. Much more needs to be done, not just for the people of Gaza but for the entire people of Palestine. We want peace. Everybody wants peace, but we will not get it unless the Government puts the absolute strictest sanctions it possibly can on the apartheid State of Israel to stop the massacre in Gaza.

I do not want to be overly argumentative with the Deputy, but I want to check. She did not say that Israel does not have the right to exist?

Apartheid does not.

To be very clear, it is the Government's position-----

Israel is an apartheid-----

-----that there is a State of Israel and a state of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders.

We do not agree with that.

The Deputy may not agree with that. I am articulating the Government's position on what recognition means today and that both states have a right to exist in peace and security, as do the Israeli and Palestinian people, their children and their children's children. We intend to keep diplomatic relations with Israel.

As equals.

We keep diplomatic relations with countries we vehemently disagree with. Those diplomatic relations are often very important in relation to our citizens.