Bernard Durkan
Question:1. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach to report on the former Taoiseach's recent visit to Boston. [12985/24]
View answerWednesday, 1 May 2024
Questions (1, 2, 3, 4)
Seán Haughey
Question:2. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the former Taoiseach's recent visit to the United States. [14152/24]
View answer
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:3. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach to report on the former Taoiseach's visit to Washington on St. Patrick’s Day. [17961/24]
View answer
Paul Murphy
Question:4. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach to report on the former Taoiseach's visit to Washington on St. Patrick’s Day. [17964/24]
View answerOral answers (10 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together.
The former Taoiseach visited Boston and Washington DC for a programme of engagements to mark St. Patrick’s Day. In Boston, he met with Governor Maura Healey with whom he discussed bilateral economic opportunities, particularly in the life sciences field as well as educational and research links, and tourism. He visited the JFK Presidential Library and Museum where he met Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson, and the US special envoy to Northern Ireland for economic development, Joe Kennedy III. He delivered a keynote address which spoke of President Kennedy’s legacy, taking the opportunity to set out Ireland’s clear position on the situation in the Middle East. He also reflected on the Kennedy family’s contribution to the cause of peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland.
The programme included a number of economic and Irish community events, including the Ireland Funds Young Leaders St. Patrick’s Day gala event and the annual Irish-American Partnership St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.
He also helped launch JetBlue airline’s two new routes between the US and Ireland - Boston to Dublin and New York to Dublin. These will provide even more air connections between the US and Ireland, helping to create more opportunities for the tourism sector.
In Washington DC, the former Taoiseach attended the annual St. Patrick’s Day National Gala hosted by the Ireland Funds. He had several important economic engagements, supported by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. He presented the Science Foundation Ireland St. Patrick’s Day medal to Dr. Eamonn Keogh, the distinguished professor of computer science at the University of California, and Mr. John Hartnett, founder and CEO of SVG Ventures. In an address to the US Chamber of Commerce he spoke about the deep, dynamic and two-way trade and investment links between Ireland and the US.
The former Taoiseach attended the traditional St. Patrick's Day breakfast with the Vice President and the Second Gentleman. He had a bilateral meeting with President Biden, at which important aspects of the US-Irish relationship, developments in Northern Ireland and global issues, including the Middle East, were discussed.
Other political engagements included the Speaker’s lunch on Capitol Hill, meetings with Speaker Johnson and the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus, and the annual St. Patrick’s Day reception in the White House at which the President was presented with the traditional bowl of shamrock.
It is a unique set of Taoiseach's questions today in that the Taoiseach is reporting on someone else's business.
There is a lot of that going on.
The next Taoiseach's questions will be his own.
The then Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, was right to attend the traditional St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington this year despite the urging of some in this House for him not to do so. Ireland has deep historical, social, cultural and economic links with the USA which combine to make it a very special relationship. St. Patrick's Day allows us to have unrivalled access to the US Administration. The then Taoiseach had a number of high-level engagements in the US as we have heard, including meetings with President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other senior politicians on Capitol Hill. As we know, US investment in Ireland is significant, as is Irish investment in the US. Successive US Administrations have strongly supported the Good Friday Agreement and articulated Ireland's calls during the complex Brexit negotiations.
The then Taoiseach rightly delivered a strong message in the US regarding Israeli actions and the terrible events taking place in Gaza. Although this coincided with a change in tone in Washington regarding Israeli actions, I am not sure that his message was well received. Does the Taoiseach have any plans to talk with President Biden and other US politicians as well as with the US special envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy. I ask him to outline his plans to link up with US politicians in the coming weeks.
I am one of the people who believes Leo Varadkar should not have gone to meet Joe Biden. Biden has said on several occasions throughout his career the following words: “If there were not an Israel, we'd have to invent one”. In those words, he revealed the true nature of the relationship between the United States and the crimes that Israel has committed against the Palestinian people for decades - apartheid, ethnic cleansing, ongoing brutal murderous occupation and the denial of the most basic rights. However, Israel's crimes have reached a new level of genocide. The International Court of Justice has said there is a plausible genocide; to most people it is clear that there is a genocide with the whole population brought to the brink of famine. What does Joe Biden do in the face of this? He gives Israel a massive increase in aid to produce more weapons, missiles and bombs to kill more innocent Palestinians and to escalate and sustain the genocide.
My question to the Taoiseach is this. Will we call Joe Biden and the US Government out for that? The simple truth is that this horror - this massacre and genocide - could not happen without US weapons, bullets, missiles and money. Joe Biden pretty much acknowledged that when he said, “If there were not an Israel, we'd have to invent one.”
In other words, America is doing it for its own selfish, strategic interests. He has made that clear. He actually described Israel as the best investment the United States every made. They are doing it for their own selfish, strategic interests and we are seeing a slaughter result from that. Should that not be called out? Should we not say publicly that this has to stop? Should we not tell Joe Biden not to arm this massacre and, for that matter, that we are not going to facilitate United States troops in Shannon Airport while he is complicit in a genocide?
When Leo Varadkar was in Boston, he said that the US and Ireland must dedicate themselves to peace in Gaza. The US Administration has continued to dedicate itself to supporting, financing and arming genocide, but students across America have fought for peace and protested against genocide and for their universities to divest from that genocide. Students at Columbia University, for example, have occupied the administration building and renamed it in honour of Hind Rajab, a frightened six-year-old girl in Gaza who was killed while she hid alone in her family's car along with the paramedics who went to rescue her. Many other university students have done the same.
What has happened now is that the US state has cracked down with incredible brutality on peaceful protesting students as well as smearing them as anti-Semitic. The NYPD has invaded Columbia University. It is deploying military grade equipment. We see vehicles that are like tanks, rolling down the streets to attack an occupation of students. It is using tear gas and flash grenades and is brutalising students with the full blessing and authorisation of the Administration. We see NYPD officers assaulting students and pushing them down stairs, leaving one unconscious. At UCLA, instead of the state directly doing it, it has stood back while, for over seven hours, right wing, pro-Zionist gangs have attacked the camps in all sorts of ways, using gas canisters and pepper spray and throwing fireworks and bricks at these peaceful protestors. Incredible state repression and a cracking down on democratic rights are being used in the US to stop those who are raising their voices against genocide happening in the Middle East. Will the Taoiseach raise his voice against this? Will he encourage students in this country to follow the lead of students in the US by occupying universities to say there must be no connections between universities in Ireland or around the world with Israel?
It is vital that in any engagement with the American Administration, serious emphasis is placed on where the Irish people stand on the brutal slaughter of the Palestinian people. I am afraid to even talk about the number of deaths now. It is possibly 34,000, and probably a lot more, with 70% of them women and children. We have all heard that Netanyahu has made a promise, no matter what happens on any deal, that he will go into Rafah. We all dread what that will look like. We know the Palestinian people are facing starvation. We need to ensure that all possible pressure is brought to bear on America. We have to continue exerting our own means of pressure at every level. I completely support the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign is holding a rally for Gaza at 2 p.m. on Sunday, 5 May on the Market Square in Dundalk. Similar events are happening across the country.
I agree we need to continue with the work done on divestment. The Government did some initial work on divesting State moneys. As I said previously, around €2.9 million of €4.2 million has been divested from companies that are involved in illegal settlements. That investment must be brought down to zero.
What is the position regarding the recognition of the state of Palestine by Ireland and, hopefully, other countries that will work alongside us? I accept that the level of pressure is not what we would like it be but we have to do what we can to maintain pressure on America, which is giving too much support to Israel, and to make sure Israel is called out for this genocide.
I thank colleagues, including Deputy Haughey. In my previous capacity as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, I visited Washington and Boston in February when I took the opportunity to see at first-hand the strength and vitality of our relationship, including our very strong and expanding education, research and innovation partnerships. I had a number of engagements in Capitol Hill and with the Biden Administration. Since becoming Taoiseach, I have had engagement with the special envoy, Joe Kennedy, and with Nancy Pelosi who was in Ireland last week and whom I met in Government Buildings. I have also had a bilateral meeting with the US ambassador. I hope to speak to President Biden shortly because it is important we continue to engage and to talk with the US Administration on issues of mutual interest and concern.
In any relationship between two friends, I always think it is very important that you can be honest. In all my engagements with the US Administration now and in future, I will continue to articulate very clearly the Irish position on the need for a cessation of violence, the need for humanitarian aid not just to flow but to have unimpeded access and the need for a two-state solution. I welcome the fact that when my predecessor, on his to visit to Washington and in the Oval Office, articulated his view on the need for a ceasefire, the US President said he agreed. I note there is a lot of diplomatic activity in which the American Administration, including the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is playing a very important and crucial role. Our position is extremely clear. We intent to recognise the state of Palestine. We want to see an immediate ceasefire. We want to see the humanitarian aid get in unimpeded, and we are very clear on the need for a two-state solution. There are different views among Members of the House. Deputy Boyd Barrett had a view. It is always very important to turn up. The relationship between Ireland and the United States is one of the most important relationships we have and it is one I very much value as well.
Regarding Deputy Murphy's comments on protest, peaceful protest has an important role to play and students have engaged in peaceful protests on many occasions. I am not going to comment on the actions or inaction of other countries as regards how they engage with protests but here in Ireland, students have always been willing to articulate their views on important issues and have stood up for humanitarian issues. I expect that will continue but obviously all protest needs to be within the confines of the law and should always be peaceful.
I agree with Deputy Ó Murchú. It is important we continue to be truthful about the Irish position in all our bilateral relationships and with the US that is no different. Members of the Deputy's party went to Washington in March and I am sure they articulated the position, as did the then Taoiseach. We should all continue to speak, insofar as we can, with one voice in expressing the people of Ireland's view on the need for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the most horrific scenes we are seeing in the Middle East. I also note Deputy Ó Murchú's comments on divestment. Work is ongoing on that.
On the state of Palestine, as the Deputy will know, I hosted the Spanish Prime Minister in Government Buildings. I also spoke with him again at the European Council when I engaged with a number of other European counterparts. Spain intends to recognise the state of Palestine, as does Ireland. We are seeing if there is a relatively small number of other countries that might be willing to do so at the same time but Ireland will not wait around forever either. It is important that this country recognises the state of Palestine and I hope to be in a position to update the House in the next few weeks in relation to that.
We will move to Questions Nos. 5 to 22, inclusive. We have 15 minutes for this slot and if we go over that time, it will be taken from the next slot.