Irish hearts are with the Palestinian people according to the Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, who called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the targeting of civilians in Gaza.
He said Ireland is being listened to in the EU and UN during what he called "uncertain and fearful times" and that a solution must be found that recognises the right of both Israel and Palestine to exist.
At his address to delegates at the Green Party annual convention in Cork city, Minister Ryan said the first response must be to condemn "the slaughter of Israeli citizens" in attacks by Hamas two weeks ago.
"Nothing can excuse the murder of innocent civilians, nothing good can come from targeting people that way," he said.
"At the same time, I think the hearts of the Irish people are also with the Palestinian people," he said adding that "Irish and Arab nationalism have shared a lot in common" since early in the last century.
"With our tradition of UN peacekeeping in southern Lebanon and frontline observers in the West Bank, we see what is happening in the Middle East in a certain light," he said.
"We can deplore what Hamas did while at the same time understanding that there will never be peace unless the rights of the Palestinian people are also delivered upon."
Ireland has "learnt from our own troubles" that the targeting of civilians is never going to work.
"The oppression of the people in Gaza and the West Bank has to stop now," Mr Ryan said.
"The humanitarian imperative requires an immediate cease fire."
Ukraine
Speaking in City Hall in Cork, the Green Party leader also expressed support for the people of Ukraine, and said it's "time to show real strength and character" by continuing to welcome them here.
"I know it has not been easy. It has been hard to get the necessary beds and classroom places for the 97,000 people who have come," he said.
"But Roderic O’Gorman and his team have done an exceptional job.
"I think history will record that the Irish people rose to the occasion."
Climate
The Minister said climate change is "scary" for a lot of people, especially given recent weather events which he said are "spinning off the dial."
While most people can see what is happening, they are unsure what to do about it and "whether we can pull things back."
But he reassured people "we can still stop runaway climate change".
The Minister for the Environment said he will use the COP28 negotiations next month to argue for a "polluter pays" principle so that companies burning fossil fuels – including the aviation and maritime sector – contribute to the global financing needed to respond to the climate crisis.
"I got important support from my colleagues at the European Environment Council earlier this week, to put the polluter pays principle at the heart of the EU negotiating position," he said.
"We can use the finance raised to provide clean power to the 600 million people in Africa without access to any electricity. It is the best way of preventing conflict and reducing forced migration. ..This is the peace project of our time."
Housing
The number of homes built per year has to rise to 50,000 – up from the rate of 30,000 built this year, the Minister said.
This is needed to give "certainty to our young people that they will be able to have their own home and raise a family in Ireland, in the same way my generation could."
The Government’s Housing for All Strategy is starting to work, he insisted.
"I don’t buy the false promise from the opposition that they could turn things around at a flick of a switch," Mr Ryan said.
"I don’t buy their claims they have a monopoly of concern about the issue. Such boasts will not build a single extra home."
Role in government
Mr Ryan has used the convention to stress his party’s goal of being part of the next government, pointing to what he believes are significant policy achievements in this coalition.
"In the past small parties in Government were described as the mudguard," he said.
"This time around we are the vanguard for change. We are the front wheel setting the direction for the future.
"We work with conviction but also a spirit that seeks consensus with other parties, and with the social partners in our state."
He dismissed those using fake identities on social media to "troll against those advocating change" who he said "attack the climate messenger."
But he said it is time to fight back with door to door canvassing, with the hope of doubling its representation at next year’s local elections and winning three seats in the European Parliament.
Media
Misinformation relating to the recent conflict in the Middle East has highlighted the need to protect impartial news coverage, according to Minister for Media Catherine Martin, who has promised to "tackle disinformation" and make the online space safer for all.
Conflicting accounts of who was responsible for the bombing of the Al-Ahli hospital this week "shows the need for reliable or verified information," she said.
"It also demonstrates that access to an impartial, trustworthy and independent media is more important than ever, both here and abroad."
Minister Martin said there is a "threat to democracy" from disinformation and misinformation from what she termed bad actors.
"It has the potential to undermine public confidence in news, information and the political system," she said in an address to delegates in Cork City Hall this evening.
She said work is underway on developing a national counter-disinformation strategy.
"We will tackle disinformation and make the online space safer for all," she said.
She referenced the work of RTÉ Political Correspondent Paul Cunningham and cameraman Owen Corcoran reporting from the Middle East this week, which she said shows "the vital service that public service broadcasting provides."
"This top quality journalism is one of the many reasons why we pay our TV license and should be proud to do so," she said.
But she said recent events at RTÉ has undermined the crucial role our public service broadcaster plays.
"Trust has been shattered. It is vital that trust is restored," she said.
Asked earlier what longer term funding model she prefers for RTÉ, Ms Martin said all options would be looked at.
She said she was confident RTÉ "will emerge from this period stronger and better than ever."
Do not 'shoot the messenger' - Ryan
Earlier, Mr Ryan has urged people not to "shoot the messenger" when delivering the message around the urgency of halting climate change.
Mr Ryan has said weather events of recent months have "gone off the charts" and that his party believes radical change is needed, but this is "not easy to do".
But he believes the "tide will turn" for the party ahead of the next general election, which he said should happen in March 2025 and not any sooner.
The Minister also said his party should not be pitched against farmers, who he said are going to be the "frontline heroes" of the just transition towards climate neutrality.
Speaking at his party's annual convention in Cork, Minister Ryan said the Greens are not "pointing the finger at any one sector of Irish society".
He said: "What we get is 'it’s you versus the farmers’ or 'you are against this and you are against car drivers.' That is not true. The farmers are going to be the frontline heroes of this transition."
Although the party has been static in opinion polls, Minister Ryan said he believes the "tide will turn" over the coming nine months and aims to secure ten per cent of the vote at next June's local elections.
He said the aim of the party is to return to government after the next general election.
"I think we should go back into Government"- Green Party leader @EamonRyan wants to "turn the tide" for his party, but are Sinn Fein compatible coalition partners? pic.twitter.com/Vx6UYryhYI
— Mary Regan (@MaryERegan) October 21, 2023
"It is not a time for sitting on the fence, it is a time for action - the next decade in particular," he said.
"We should be willing to work with all parties."
Asked if that included Sinn Féin, he said: "That would be a difficult programme for government negotiations, because to be honest Sinn Féin have not shown an interest in protecting the environment to the extent that we think is appropriate.
"We will sit down with them and try and make that happen, or any other parties. We get on well with our coalition partners, we get on well with Labour and the Soc Dems.
"That is the nature of our party we will try to work with other people," he said.
Country needs to protect flood prediction capabilities, says Ryan
The country needs to improve its flood prediction capabilities and be better prepared for more extreme weather and intense rainfall, Mr Ryan said.
He said there is greater uncertainty around weather now and more intense systems can be expected into the future.
He told reporters that the immediate task is to help businesses and homes affected by the flooding in parts of east Cork in recent days, and to get a flood relief system up and running in the town of Midleton, which was badly hit.
But he said there is "real uncertainty" around weather and more intense systems can be expected in the future.
"We know we are going to get more intense rain systems and we have to prepared for them," he said.
"We have to improve our flood prediction capabilities. We have really good prediction capability around weather now.
"We have really good modelling of weather systems. We need to enhance our modelling of flood systems so [we can understand] what is happening in those water levels," he said.
Deferral of maternity leave
Meanwhile, women who are diagnosed with cancer or other serious illness during pregnancy, will be able to defer their maternity leave until after treatment ends, according to Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O'Gorman.
Around 60 women a year receive a cancer diagnosis while pregnant and are unable to defer their maternity leave while they are sick, meaning most of it is spent receiving life-saving treatment.
This denies them time to spend with their newborn baby, according to the Irish Cancer Society, which has campaigned for a change in the law.
Speaking at the convention this evening Minister O’Gorman said he is working to deliver on this campaign so that women who suffer cancer or other serious illnesses during maternity leave can avail of the full period of their leave once their treatment ends.
He told delegates that the party has been dealing with issues beyond the environment and is making changes in government that have a real impact on people’s lives.
