What do bravery and principle and honouring this country's traditions of opposition to colonialism look like? They look like the actions of Aaron Rowe and Beoga and other artists who at considerable costs to themselves have dropped out of Ed Sheeran's US tour in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Aaron Rowe, who is from Monkstown Farm in my area and whom I am proud to say I know, said:

I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland. Free Palestine.

Is there not a lesson for this Government in the principled, selfless decision of Aaron, Beoga and the other artists to take this action in solidarity with Palestine in relation to the Irish football game against Israel and the Government's continued failure to show the kind of principle and courage that we have seen from these artists in calling for that game to be boycotted in solidarity with the people of Palestine?

First, I disagree fundamentally with the Deputy's characterisation of the Government's position on Palestine. We have been very principled in relation to Palestine, both at European Union and at international level and in terms of our policies and allocations of resources. We stood up for UNRWA when it mattered most for that organisation in terms of doubling down on the funds we allocated when it was under threat from some EU member states at the time in the EU Commission. We have intervened in the South African case in respect of genocide before the ICJ. We have recognised the Palestinian state. At every international forum, we have raised the issue of Palestine and we also seek solutions in respect of a two-state solution in terms of trying to get humanitarian aid in to Gaza and, indeed, to stop-----

These artists are-----

-----the settlements and the violence by terrorist settlers against Palestinians in their homeland in the West Bank.

Time is up. We are significantly over time.