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Seanad
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Israel and Hamas conflict

Summary

Senator O'Sullivan condemned Hamas’s attack on Israel and argued that Israel’s response is routinely condemned while the original atrocity is overlooked. The Chair cut him off for turning the Order of Business into a partisan clash and repeatedly ended his time.

Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Anois, an Seanadóir O'Sullivan.

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I think the people of Ireland have had their eyes opened in the last ten days, following the savage, inhuman attack on Israel by Hamas. Hamas is a murderous bunch of terrorists.

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There is no other word for them. Israel has been living with the horror of Hamas on a daily and weekly basis. There is hardly a week goes by that some rockets do not come over and there will be some retaliation. Of course, the pro-Palestinian lobby will not notice the initial atrocity but they will immediately attack Israel for responding. This has been the pattern. It has become a kind of a proxy thing between those who have a left-wing view of life and those of us who do not. There is no denying that. The most recent reaction to the terrible hospital tragedy proves that. Everybody on the left jumped out of their skin to attack Israel for bombing the hospital. It is now becoming clearer every minute that Israel was not responsible. It was Hamas or the jihad who, in a typical way, sent off rockets irresponsibly from a populated area near a hospital and it backfired on them, as one out of every three of their rockets does, by the way. The greatest victims in all of this are the Palestinian people. Palestinian people are victims of Hamas. We, in Ireland, have a proud record of being fair to both sides, and we need to stay that way. I want to compliment the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Government for their mature response to this. They have the support of the Irish people. They can well do without hurlers on the ditch, especially people who, as Senator Craughwell said, are restricted by the Constitution in what they can and cannot say, and seem at this stage - I am talking about Uachtarán na hÉireann - to have thrown all caution to the wind and must-----

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Sorry, Senator. You are a long-standing Member, but I must advise you-----

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On a point of order-----

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

I am the Chair. You are a long-standing Member of the House.

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You are eating into my time now.

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Senator, please. With respect, I am not going to allow the Order of Business to become a boxing match around the issue of the Office of the President. As I did earlier, I refer Members to Article 13.8.1° of the Constitution. Thank you; your time is up.

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A Chathaoirligh, I have great respect for you.

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Likewise.

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You have eaten into my time.

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

I have not.

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The President is not a sacred cow.

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Thank you.

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You did allow Senator Warfield a good bit of time to praise the President. Fair is fair. That man does not have the right-----

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Thank you, Senator.

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-----to do what he did.

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Your time is up.

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Someone has to call him out on it.

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Your time is up.

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His term is nearly over. God only knows where he will stop.

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Jerry Buttimer An Cathaoirleach Fine Gael

Go raibh maith agat, thank you. Senator McGahon.

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