I thank the Deputy Leader for outlining the Order of Business.

I want to speak about the conflict in the Middle East. Yesterday, I had a brief engagement with the Israeli ambassador but I had a much more detailed engagement with the Palestinian representative here in Ireland along with the Deputy Leader. When one hears the stories in great detail, it is quite horrific. I do not know what we can do as a nation, but we are known as peacekeepers. We are good at diplomacy. We had our own conflict on the island of Ireland and we at least found a working resolution to it. We have helped and supported and done peacekeeping in many parts of the world where there was serious conflict. Surely our skilled diplomats can do something to help to bring some sort of an end to this appalling situation. I am particularly concerned about persons with disabilities. Whether they are Israeli or Palestinian, they are the most vulnerable. We saw in the war in Ukraine the difficulties and challenges people with disabilities had in getting to safety. It is even worse in Gaza. Common sense will have to prevail. Something will have to be done to try to bring this to a conclusion because there are too many people losing their lives. There are too many children losing their lives. Of course, as happens in all conflicts, it is the most vulnerable who are least likely to get out with their lives.

I know that the Leader is deeply committed in whatever she can do. I know how powerless we all feel but I certainly urge the Government to redouble its efforts. Perhaps, as Deputy Leader of the Seanad, Senator Doherty could write to the Government to encourage it to do so. Whatever can be done by our skilled diplomats, who have succeeded in so many different ways, to try to help to come to some negotiated stopping of this bloodshed would be very welcome.

Bearing in mind what my esteemed colleague has said, right across both Houses and cross-party we are all utterly heartbroken with the scenes we are seeing. There is a sense of helplessness. We are all calling for a humanitarian ceasefire, for aid into Gaza and for the hostages to be released. I have written to the Leader to ask if it would be appropriate that we in this House would organise our own vigil. It would be important to show solidarity. I am waiting for a response on that but it would be something that we would all agree would be appropriate and that we could do.

Our thoughts are also with Sarah and Jack Corbett this morning. Justice has been somewhat served. We have all been following it and we could not comment, but I was struck by the dignity of those two young people in the face of everything they have lost. We wish them well in life and in their journey ahead.

This month is Bereaved Siblings Month. It is a time dedicated to acknowledging the unique pain and sorrow experienced by siblings who lose a brother or a sister prematurely. Losing a brother or a sister is a challenging and difficult time. This month aims to create awareness, support and resources for bereaved siblings to cope with their grief. We all know people who are in this situation. When one knows somebody from birth, he or she is part of one's life and part of one's story. It is difficult. We are thinking of all of those who have lost a sibling today.

As Chair of the all-party Oireachtas group on dementia, I want to focus on Mahon Point in Cork. It has just introduced the first dementia-friendly shopping centre in Ireland. All of the staff have gone through training. It is important so that those with dementia and their families can have a positive shopping experience. We will be having a meeting next Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. in relation to this experience. To show all of the Oireachtas Members how we can make our own towns and communities dementia-friendly, I am doing it in Newbridge. I am aware many others are doing it. I would like to extend that invitation to everybody to come.

The last issue I want to raise is the use of CCTV cameras to combat illegal dumping. It also can be used to combat antisocial behaviour. On Hallowe'en night, I was shocked to see some of the videos emerging from my own home town of Rathangan. There was really scary and shocking behaviour. I understand that the Act, which was passed last year, requires the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, to draw up and submit a code of practice for the use of CCTV by local authorities. However, a year and a half after the Act became law, we still have no code of practice. It is important that we write to the LGMA to say we need this. Our local authorities need it.

I was not here yesterday, unfortunately, as I had other business. Today I want to remember the people of the Niemba massacre who lost their lives in Niemba in the Congo in 1960. Forever etched in my mind are the dates of 8 November and, in particular, 22 November, when the bodies were returned to Ireland and brought down O'Connell Street in Dublin. Lieutenant Gleeson and his men, all but two, were lost. I think two survived. One is still missing. That is dating back to those days.

On Tuesday, I raised the issue of the appointment of the next head of intelligence for Ireland. At that time, I expressed my concern that an article had appeared in The Sunday Times that suggested the next head of intelligence for Ireland would be a foreigner. I was immediately challenged in this House by a Member of this House who asked me to give way and said that "we have something called employment equality, which also covers race" and that we "cannot adjudicate on someone on the basis of race and exclude him or her from applying for a job". The Senator went on to accuse me of racism. I have been contacted by dozens of members of the public. Apparently, there were people laughing behind my back while I was talking about this most serious issue.

There is a grave error of understanding, and it unfortunately brings this House into disrepute when people do not understand the difference between nationalism and racism. You must be a national, an Irish citizen, to run for President in this country. Is that racist? You must be an Irish citizen or have Irish heritage to play football for this country. Is that racist? The Cathaoirleach was not here. He was representing the country the way he does best at the House of Lords. I congratulate him on that. I believe he was the first speaker from this country to do that. I demand a formal apology from all in this House who took issue with what I said. I am extremely concerned about this country and its international reputation when it comes to security and intelligence. The thought that we would bring a foreigner into this country and have him or her head up our intelligence service, giving him or her access to the most sensitive information on all of us, is totally and utterly unacceptable. That must not be mistaken for racism. I ask those who decided to take the mick out of me and laugh behind my back to come here and apologise first to me and second to the House itself for what they said.

I will use my time to speak on the barbaric incidents happening every day in Palestine. I have not spoken before now because I have been too upset to keep it together. I will try to keep it together for the next three minutes. We had a great briefing yesterday, organised by Senator Black and Deputy Costello. We heard first-hand stories from people in Palestine and from Israeli Jews. There is no debate here; what is happening at the moment is absolutely and completely illegal, barbaric and dehumanising. I disassociate myself completely from Ursula von der Leyen's comments. They do not represent me, as a national politician, and I am sure they do not represent the many people in our Government who have been very strong in asking for a ceasefire. I do not know who she thinks she is representing in just supporting Israel but I will be very clear that I do not agree with her and I call on her to retract her statements because she is completely ignoring what is happening to the Palestinian people.

We have had 33 days of consistent bombardment. More than 6,000 children are dead. More children have been killed in Palestine in the past 33 days than were killed in the entire world in the past three years. That is worth crying over and I do not apologise for doing so. It is a disgrace. Some 120 schools, 32 health centres and five hospitals have been bombed, 56 journalists and 180 doctors and nurses have been killed and 1,010 entire family units have been wiped out. Families of between 30 and 50 members have been completely erased from Palestine forever. Some 2,300 people are still under the rubble and have yet to be found. It is said that another child is killed every four to seven minutes. By the time two of us have finished speaking this morning, two more children will have been killed in Palestine.

I do not know what else I can do other than use my platform, as a national politician, to demand an immediate ceasefire. We have to call out President Joe Biden and the American Government for supporting Israel. They have to see sense on this complete insanity. It is a total genocide. We never expected something so barbaric to happen again after the Second World War and yet here we are. Although we are in modern times and everyone can see it on their phones, it is still continuing. We need to call for an immediate ceasefire. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, the Red Cross and all of the first aid organisations are saying that 16,000 trucks are needed. So far, only 630 trucks have been allowed to come in, none of which has carried fuel, which is why hospitals are closing.

We need a two-state solution. That has always been the case. To be very clear, what Hamas did was absolutely insane and barbaric. We need to have an intelligent debate about this. People cannot be accused of supporting Hamas just because they call out what Israel is now doing every day. The first day or two of revenge for what Hamas did to the Israelis could nearly be justified but this continuing bombardment and killing of innocent people is completely wrong. There is no debate about that. It is always wrong to keep people as hostages but this is just murder and it has to stop.

The meeting organised by Deputy Costello and Senator Black yesterday was really powerful. It is astonishing to see what we are continuing to witness each day. We are witnessing genocide. Like the previous speaker, I entirely endorse the Government's call for a ceasefire, but we have to do more because, as I pointed out yesterday, there are no consequences for Israel. How can that possibly be? If we can support sanctions against Russia, why can we not call for sanctions against Israel when it is engaged in the genocide of a population? Let no one doubt that is what is happening. I also make the point that there is not an equality of blame across Palestine and Israel because, as everyone here knows, Israel is an occupying power. As everyone here also knows, Israel is an apartheid state. It is not important whether that is my opinion or not but it is the opinion of the UN special rapporteur, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and 450 separate NGOs. For the life of me, I cannot accept it when the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, says that it is not helpful to use the term "apartheid". It is factual to use the term "apartheid". If there is one thing that all of us can do, it is to always refer to Israel as the apartheid state of Israel because that is now beyond doubt unless all of those 450 NGOs are wrong. I really hope that we do not just support the Government's call for an immediate ceasefire, which I acknowledge is a very good call to make, but that we also go further. We have the means to go further, particularly through Senator Black's Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018.

I will raise a few other things in the minute and 20 seconds I have left. I thank the Deputy Leader. I raised the issue of FitzMac, a company that was in severe debt because of the Department of Education's refusal to pay a debt of €700,000. That debt has come down to €250,000 and I have no doubt the office of the Leader was instrumental in that. I thank her very much. That is a company that will continue in business and we are very grateful for that.

What I want to talk about today is the shocking issue of a business in Cork, which I will not name, although I suspect people may know which business it is, that had its normal loan transferred from AIB to one of the vulture funds, at which point a demand for payment of €2 million issued. Senator Lombard knows exactly what I am talking about. I met the owner at the weekend and he told me a tale of absolute horror. There was no communication from the vulture fund concerned. When the owner kept asking for representatives to come down to meet him, they came down bringing an auctioneer and legal people with them. As he was trying to negotiate the debt, the auctioneer was talking about changing rooms and doing this, that and the other. That was an incredible level of intimidation. I beg the Cathaoirleach for 30 seconds' indulgence while I say that this has all happened because these loans were allowed to be sold off to vulture funds. The most worrying thing is that the owner has told me that a host of businesses have contacted him to say they are in exactly the same position. Vulture funds are being let get away with murder and are putting good people out of business. This all goes back to when the vulture funds were let into the country after the great crash. It is a fundamental issue for small businesses and we need a debate on the matter.