EU-Israel trade and UNRWA funding
The Acting Leader continued by endorsing calls for an urgent review of the EU-Israel trade agreement and welcoming Ireland’s €20 million commitment to UNRWA. She also noted Senator O'Loughlin’s congratulations to Professor Michael O'Flaherty and suggested a future debate on the Council of Europe.
I am very proud that we led that call yesterday with Spain. I also welcome the decision by the Tánaiste to make a commitment to allocating funding of €20 million to UNWRA. He is satisfied, on behalf of the State, that it should be done. The money is needed to support the civilian population in Gaza.
I join Senator O'Loughlin in congratulating Professor Michael O'Flaherty on his appointment. It would be interesting at some point to have statements on the role of the Council of Europe. An opportunity for the House to explore that might be a debate that could be considered within the scope of reform of the Seanad. There are mysterious entities about which we do not know all there is to know. A debate would be an opportunity to share an insight with the public.