I join in the expressions of condolence on the death of Brian O'Shea.

We are having a discussion on the fuel protest, which has taken centre stage to the extent that some of what we are seeing with the ongoing war is falling from attention sometimes. I request that we have a debate specifically on Lebanon in this House. In Lebanon, which is a sovereign state, over 1.2 million people have been displaced, 2,000 people have been killed and 100 bombs were dropped in a ten-minute period. Israel has announced that it does not regard it as part of any ceasefire. Where is Europe on this? Are we still saying that the EU-Israel association agreement, which we did not suspend but should have suspended over Gaza, is still under way? Are we still acting as if this is normal? Are we just going to be watching a discussion between Iran and the United States and waiting to see what comes out of that? Are Europe and Ireland going to start talking explicitly about Lebanon and putting explicit and direct pressure on Israel in relation to that matter? I would like that to be a debate.

I am very proud and happy to be one of the co-signers of the motion in relation to the Catalpa. The story of the Catalpa is one that came to my attention when a wonderful actor, theatre maker and activist, Donal O'Kelly, produced a one-man production, "Catalpa", which told the story crossing multiple oceans and multiple characters. It is an extraordinary story of solidarity across oceans between those who have a similar goal in terms of freedom and a vision for humanity and solidarity. It is an extremely important episode in history. I am glad that we are marking it. I ask that we use the story of the Catalpa mission, which went across oceans to rescue six people from prison, to reflect on what the equivalents are now.

I suggest the equivalents are things like the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is working with the United Nations to try to establish humanitarian corridors into Gaza. We in Ireland might reflect on our more recent history when just a decade ago, Ireland and the Irish navy were rescuing 8,000 people a year - 8,000 lives - from the Mediterranean. This is something we chose to stop doing and to instead move from a humanitarian focus to a security one - that was the then Minister of State, Paul Kehoe, at the time - thereby moving away from that specific and I would say honourable, heroic and humanitarian role Ireland and our Irish navy used to play.

We are now in a situation where people like Seán Binder and many individuals who have taken action in being the champions of human rights, in doing those rescues in the Mediterranean and in supporting it, are being faced with charges and have to fight for their freedom for having acted in that very decent way in solidarity. It is something to reflect on the Catalpa and to reflect on what right now are the equivalent gestures and actions that we should be taking as a nation that eventually won its freedom and took its place among the nations of the world on the basis of certain principles, including neutrality, human rights and global solidarity.