Order of Business - 27th January 2009

Order of Business - 27th January 2009
Senator David Norris: I strongly support the comments made by Senator Ó Murchú. I ask the Leader whether he will accept non-Government motion No. 32 which urges the Government to support the establishment of an international war crimes inquiry. I tabled this motion before I became aware that the Government was, in fact, taking this line. I commend the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, on the action he took in the matter. It is clear that we must have a war crimes tribunal. I pay tribute to the extraordinary, heroic, noble and selfless work of people such as John Ging. I am proud that an Irishman like him is representing the UNRWA in Gaza and remaining with the terrified people to bear witness and call for an inquiry on behalf of the United Nations.
There is prima facie evidence that war crimes were committed and I have no doubt that they were. I watched on al-Jazeera as the first shell was fired and knew it was white phosphorus. I immediately asked my office in Dublin to contact Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organisations. Queasy, miserable and lying excuses were made by Israeli spokespersons to the effect that they were using these munitions in the same manner as Britain and other European countries had used them. When did Britain or any other country use white phosphorus in densely populated civilian areas?
These arguments are heard not only from Hamas but also from the United Nations and the international doctors present. They know what happened, including about the disproportionate use of force, the use of white phosphorus and the targeting of United Nations schools, despite having global position co-ordinates. The attackers knew exactly what they were doing. One third of casualties were innocent children. Lies were consistently told to the effect that Hamas fighters were based inside the schools. Let us find the truth by means of an international inquiry. It is a disgrace that EU Foreign Ministers have turned their backs and do not even want an inquiry. In other words, they do not want to know what is happening. In the same way, we have this farce of human rights protocols being attached to external trade association agreements. I have repeatedly asked over the past three or four years that they be monitored but this is not even happening. It is a systematic undermining of everything we know about human rights.
Thank God for al-Jazeera and people like Ayman Mohyeldin who was reporting in the thick of the events. The Israelis did not want anybody to know what was going on. That is the reason they kept all the reporters out, just like America did in Iraq. I strongly make this call.
I say to the Leader, through the Cathaoirleach, that we have had very passionate statements from the Government side of the House and equally passionate pronouncements from this side. We appear to be in agreement and we are only urging and reinforcing the Government in acting the way it should.
Shame on Germany and how dare the Germans behave in this way. It was not enough that they were responsible for the Holocaust; now they want to turn their eye again against this kind of attack on humanity out of their guilty feelings. Why should the Palestinians pay for their guilty feelings?

An Cathaoirleach: The Senator has made his point.

Senator David Norris: I am sorry if I have taken a while with this but I feel very passionately about the subject. I saw the doctor beating his head when his children, his entire family, were wiped out. We must have a debate on this issue.
With regard to the events of last week, I will content myself by saying I called for a vote and I pay tribute to those who recorded the fact. There was some disturbance but I indicated at the time that we should have adjourned so people could have been heard. I will leave that aside.
If I may, I will quickly return to one matter which was raised, namely, the Roscommon incest case.

An Cathaoirleach: I remind the Senator I was obeying the Order of Business as set out on the day. I had no choice other than to act in the way I did.

Senator David Norris: I want to move on from that to the Roscommon case. I have been disgusted by some of the comments made in this House, for example, during the discussion of civil partnership, etc. We were told, and it was reported by various interest groups, that a gay couple would not be fit to raise children. Would those Roscommon children not have been better raised by a loving couple who happen to be of the same sex than exposed to this particular family? This concept of family is protected in an idolatrous fashion despite the damage it does. We should not have any more of this cant and nonsense.
I remember exactly what Senator O’Toole said about how we were blackguarded when we raised the question of Stay Safe. We were asked about the rights of parents, as if it was a right of parents to molest their own children. I remember these organisations and the personnel, who have remained the same. It is the very same rotten source in Irish society. I will no longer tolerate being told by groups and organisations, including the church, who represent forces that singly fail to protect children that gay people are not as good as anybody else at keeping children——

An Cathaoirleach: The Senator has made his point.

Senator David Norris: ——or raising them lovingly. We have had enough of this tripe about the family. The family is good when it is good but when it is bad, it is absolutely toxic.