I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by our group leader in the House, Senator Darragh O'Brien.

In response to Senator Ivana Bacik's reference to the forthcoming Seanad by-election, it is the intention of the Fianna Fail Party to present the electorate with a candidate about whom I am very pleased. While we all have enormous admiration for Máiría Cahill, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting on a number of occasions in the House, as a brave and courageous woman, as a political party, we believe it is serving the democratic process at its most effective to present the electorate with alternative choices. Obviously, there will be further details forthcoming in that regard.

I also express my condemnation - I am sure Members on all sides of the House agree with me - of last week's attack on two Israeli parents who were driving in their car with their children. Effectively, they were assassinated or executed in front of their two children. There has been very little international reaction to this incident. I should not be too surprised because there is an overwhelmingly pro-Palestinan sentiment in this country that is fuelled by certain elements within the media. All I have ever attempted to do is not to take sides but rather to present an alternative view to that which is sometimes aired in the House.

Fair play.

I firmly believe the only solution to the Middle East problem between Israel and Palestine is a two-nation formula. I utterly and completely condemn the actions of the Israeli defence forces on many occasions, particularly the massacres that took place on the West Bank and in Palestine last year. My credibility in that regard should not be questioned in any way. It is right and proper that whenever there are issues to be raised in respect of both sides, a balance should be struck. I sometimes fear that there is not complete balance in this House when it comes to issues relating to the relationship between Israel and Palestine. I raise this matter because I am sure Members on all sides will utterly condemn this terrible attack. Can Members imagine an innocent couple with two of their children in the back of the car driving along a road being stopped and shot dead in front of them? It is terrible and an indication, perhaps, of the sad descent into violence that has happened in the relationship between Israel and Palestine.

All one can do is pray and hope. I am sure the Leader will convey to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, that we in Ireland will continue to promote peace between both factions. I have always admired the Government’s stance of supporting the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian problem. In the past, my party’s spokesperson on foreign affairs, Deputy Brendan Smith, has highlighted and will continue to do so in the future the need to strike a balance and the fact that, as a country with its own colonial history, we do not condemn one side without taking account of the other.

The Senator is way over time.

I add my voice to Senator Ivana Bacik’s welcome for the nomination of Máiría Cahill to contest the forthcoming Seanad by-election. She will contest a selection convention in the Labour Party, should there be other nominees. If she is successful, or if there is no other nominee, she will contest the by-election. I welcome Senator Paschal Mooney’s announcement that Fianna Fáil will be putting up a candidate too. Of course, it must put up a candidate; that is democracy at its best. We will be ready and able for that challenge.

I welcome the work done by the Minister of State, Deputy Gerald Nash, on workers’ rights and for the unemployed. He has fought tirelessly on these issues, issues on which I have worked with him. He has delivered on the Low Pay Commission, the joint labour committees, employment regulation orders, the Workplace Relations Commission and the Startup Gathering 2015. I welcome what he has done to date in these areas.

When I first became a Senator, I moved a motion on domestic violence which received cross-party support at the time. As it was in the early days of the Government, funding was an issue. It was impossible to get extra funding for any service to deal with domestic violence. Last week I was saddened to read about the Tallaght women’s refuge, which is expected to close by Christmas. This is worrying as the service helps people from the very rich to the very poor. It does not matter how much money one has. If one has to flee home in the middle of the night with one’s clothes on one’s back, one will still need somewhere to go. I would prefer to see these services enhanced and funded rather than eroded. They are vital, particularly for women. I ask Members, particularly women Members, to stand up and fight the closure of this refuge centre, as it is vital for women. While it is considered a second stage refuge centre, where those out of immediate danger move on, they still have nowhere to go. Will the Leader make representations to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Reilly, on this issue and ensure the centre will not close?

I just want to correct the record. There were four children involved in the unprovoked attack to which I referred. They were aged nine years, seven years, four years and four months.