I would like to express my outrage, and that of the Fianna Fáil group, and condemn the actions of Israel and its use of force against unarmed Palestinian protestors, including unarmed children. An eight month old child was among the victims.

The killing of 59 Palestinians can only be described as a massacre and must be condemned by the Government in the strongest possible terms. We call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to do what he can and outline our condemnation to the Israeli ambassador. Shooting live ammunition at demonstrators goes way beyond the realms of proportionality and I ask the Minister to urge the Israeli authorities to use restraint.

The second issue I wish to raise is the cervical screening controversy and the information deficit among senior management in the HSE, evidenced by when they became aware of the cervical cancer controversy, including when the Minister and his predecessors knew about the issue, which I say is questionable. In fact, it beggars belief. However, the Taoiseach was emphatic in the Dáil earlier that he was not aware of any issues with the programme, which I of course fully accept. The Taoiseach also confirmed, when asked by Deputy Micheál Martin, that no Minister for Health in recent times ever discussed or reviewed the progress of the cervical screening programme with senior management there, which in itself, in my opinion, is a dereliction of duty by a health Minister. The CervicalCheck programme is clearly within the brief of the Minister for Health, and failure to review or discuss it over the course of the last Government or this Government raises serious questions about competency. Ultimately, the women at the heart of this controversy must be the priority of the Government. To date, we have seen a serious lack of urgency in supporting them. Some 4,000 women have yet to receive a call back from the helpline. Moreover, six families of women who have sadly passed away and were the subject matter of the audit have not been contacted to date. If they were wanted for a crime or owed money to the State it would be very easy to find them. This alone beggars belief, and the manner in which families to date have been told has been insensitive and cruel. What we need to see is reform. We need to see competence in this programme and we need to see this as a matter of urgency.

The final item I would like to raise is unrelated. It concerns the dangers of cycling on Luas tracks. At 1.40 p.m. today I witnessed a man's tyre get trapped in the Luas tracks in St. Stephen's Green, causing him to fall. Thankfully he had a helmet on and was not injured. I know this matter has been raised before but there is a serious accident waiting to happen. More safety measures and warnings must be put in place to ensure that we do not learn of a tragedy on our doorstep arising from this.

I too want to point out that what went on yesterday in Gaza is beyond belief. This has been going on for so long with the Israelis that it is not funny. Children were shot yesterday. I have to ask the question: what were children doing there? I often have wondered whether I have the capacity to kill somebody and I think the only way I would ever kill anybody would be if he or she touched one of my children or grandchildren. I cannot for the life of me understand anybody bringing children to an organised protest when they know that those against whom they are protesting have no qualms whatsoever when it comes to using lethal force.

Blame the victims.

"Do not blame the victims".

That is what the Senator is doing.

That is too cheap and too easy an answer-----

It is too accurate.

-----to the situation. It is too cheap and too easy. They are children. I ask anybody here who has children to stand up here today and tell me that he or she would walk them into a situation where that person knows there was a possibility that they would get shot. That in no way excuses the disgusting behaviour of the Israeli defence forces. Their viciousness, their cruelty and their willingness to kill people is too well known. As for President Trump opening his embassy in Jerusalem, he knew God-damned well when he opened it exactly what it would cause. It is a terrible day. We stand here with 59 people dead, and I agree with my colleague, Senator Ardagh; we must object in the most strenuous terms.

The Leader also mentioned today that legislative items are to come before the House without debate, that is, two European directives pertaining to taxation. I refer to COM(2018)147 and COM(2018)148. I do not believe that any European legislation should pass through this House without debate. I believe that time should be found and set aside to debate this legislation before it goes through. That is one job the Seanad can do and can do well. I ask the Leader to reconsider that and to perhaps set time aside to debate both of those items of legislation.

I will leave it at that. There is not much more I want to say.

To be honest, I am finding it difficult to put into words how disgusted and horrified I am at the shameful disregard for human life in Gaza yesterday. I spent the last week in Palestine meeting both Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations and other amazing people across Gaza and the West Bank. I came back into Leinster House yesterday morning ready to share their stories, just as news emerged of the horrific, mounting death toll.

It is almost surreal to be back in Dublin. Just days ago, I stood in Gaza at the exact same meeting point near the border fence where the protests are taking place and I got to speak to those living under a brutal, 11-year blockade and occupation. The sense of hopelessness was very clear. Israel's inhumane blockade has confined 2 million people to suffering in an open air prison. The lack of access to water, electricity and healthcare was difficult to take, but the very real despair in people's voices was even worse. They pleaded with us and asked why the international community is not doing anything for them. They asked why they were left there to deal with this situation. I saw it clearly. I am so upset. I felt the hopelessness of many people. They had just given up.

Senator Craughwell asked why people bring children to those demonstrations. They have no other choice. They do not know what else to do. They are feeling hopeless. They are choosing death because they do not know what else to do. Over 50% of the people in the region are unemployed. They are all young people. They are sick of life in an open air prison.

We hear that another life has been lost today. When I went to Hebron I spoke with a man from Breaking the Silence who said that when he was in the Israeli army, shooting the Palestinian people was like playing a video game. They all cheer and laugh when they shoot somebody. It is absolutely horrendous, and I am appalled.

It is time now for change, and this Government has to do something about that. The sad reality is that nothing will change until the European Union and the wider international community puts pressure on Netanyahu's Government. Years of empty condemnation simply has not worked.

Hear, hear.

We need to stand up for international law and stand against the blockade in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. We can recognise the Palestinian state and put peace negotiations on an equal footing, relying on the same parity of esteem enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement.

I look forward to introducing my legislation to end Irish involvement in the illegal settlements in the coming months and I am hopeful of seeing support across this House. I hope that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will support us on this legislation.

To those disgusted by the actions of the Israeli state, I say there are tangible steps Ireland can take, vouched for in international human rights law if there is the political will. I am pleading with the House today to show leadership on this issue and let Ireland go forward and introduce those steps. We need to lead on this issue.

I, too, condemn the slaughter of the Palestinian women, men and children over the weekend. This is nothing new, but those atrocities have focused people's minds. For that reason, I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that the House would get a full report from the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade on his meeting with the Israeli ambassador. It is not good enough to just have a chat with him. Senator Black and the other Senators who have spoken are right. Action must be taken now. I want to see the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade come before this House to outline the leadership measures and actions that will be taken to address this atrocity.

We often talk in this House about atrocities that happened and things over which we have no control. We cannot change the past but can change things now. Obviously, Ireland is a small state but addressing this requires not only international support but also international action. Ireland must play its part in that. We must show leadership and tangible actions to make that happen. It will not happen just through UN agreement. Specific actions are required. For our part, we have called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Ireland in response to what has happened. Sinn Féin has called repeatedly for the international community to stand in defence of the Palestinian people. What occurred is the antithesis of all universal democratic norms. The failure of the international community to take a stand against the multiple injustices being inflicted on the Palestinian people by Israel is shameful and outrageous and has to stop. We must do absolutely everything in our power to ensure it stops. Otherwise it is to our shame.

I presume the Senator wants the Minister to come to the House today to explain his position.

Yes.

Like others, I express my utter condemnation of the appalling killings and maiming by the Israeli defence forces of so many civilians in Gaza, particularly a number of children. It is appalling to see carnage of this level. It is a new low. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade had a session on Palestine with Omar Barghouti last week. Even at that point, it was not apparent just how much worse the situation would get. It was particularly chilling to see the US Administration suggesting this was somehow a positive move. Its siting of the embassy in Jerusalem led to the protests.

It is beyond time for empty words. We need to move on and look at the concrete action Ireland can take on this. We should call on the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Coveney, to take action on behalf of Ireland, recognising that, as a small state, we work best collectively. Today the Labour Party leader, Deputy Brendan Howlin, called on the Tánaiste to request an urgent convening of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss what action can be taken against Israel at EU level on this issue, and to convene an independent investigation into the killings. If the UN will not conduct such an investigation, which is likely given the Security Council veto, the EU should then step in and conduct an independent inquiry into the conduct of the Israeli defence forces.

Hear, hear.

To those who ask what role the EU has, I say it has a major role, as we heard last week at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade. It has a role as a major donor, as an entity, and as a bloc that has invested a huge amount of money in the rebuilding of buildings in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Senator Black will have seen this. The buildings were subsequently demolished by Israeli action. Therefore, the EU has a stake in this. We all have a stake in this on a humanitarian basis.

Deputy Brendan Howlin has also called for the Government to recognise the state of Palestine.

Hear, hear.

I support Senator Conway-Walsh's call for the Tánaiste to come in here because we need to put it to him that he should implement the motion already passed by the Oireachtas that the state of Palestine should be recognised by Ireland. That is one unilateral action we can take and that will put pressure on our European colleagues and Federica Mogherini.

Hear, hear.

That is the sort of concrete action we need to take. I would be careful about expressing any words that blame or sound like blaming of any of the individuals involved in the peaceful protests.

Hear, hear.

Doing so is problematic because there is no question but that the picking off of civilians by Israeli defence forces' snipers is an outrageous act of war, a crime, an international humanitarian crime. We need to be careful about saying anything that would in any way sound as if we were seeking to cast blame elsewhere.

I commend the dynamic and dignified group of grandfathers I met outside Leinster House earlier. They have set up a group called Grandfathers for Yes to campaign for a "Yes" vote in the forthcoming referendum on behalf of their grandchildren and future generations. Colleagues may have met the group. It was a wonderful group. I have asked the Leader to have a debate after the referendum on the conduct of referenda and electoral reform but we also need to debate the conduct of the debate itself and the use of respectful language. Unfortunately last night on "Claire Byrne Live" we saw the first real descent into name calling and abusive language, particularly an unfortunate series of personal attacks on the eminent consultant, Dr. Peter Boylan.

Hear, hear.

It was unforgivable and should have been stopped by the chairperson, whatever one’s view of the referendum debate. I am glad to say that in this House, we conducted ourselves with dignity and respect for one another's views in the debate on the referendum Bill. I hope we will see future debates in the media conducted in that way. RTÉ is to blame for failing to intervene to prevent the debate descending as it did last night.