I must now deal with a deferred division relating to the ministerial amendment to the motion on exclusion of Israel from sporting fixtures. Earlier today, on the question, "That the amendment be made", a division was claimed and that division must be taken now.
Exclusion of Israel from Sporting Fixtures: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Sinéad Gibney on Wednesday, 10 June 2026:
That Dáil Éireann:
agrees that:
— the State of Israel is committing an ongoing genocide in Gaza, something which both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have publicly acknowledged;
— since 7th October, 2023, nearly 75,000 people have been murdered by Israel in Gaza, including more than 20,000 children;
— of the more than 170,000 Palestinians who have been injured in Gaza since October 2023, 43,000 have sustained life-changing injuries, including amputations, spinal cord injuries and severe mobility impairments;
— all of Gaza's infrastructure, including water, energy, healthcare and education systems, have been systematically and deliberately destroyed by Israel;
— Israel has repeatedly violated a so-called ceasefire agreement that was announced in October 2025, with nearly 1,000 Palestinians being killed since then;
— on 28th May, Israel's Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, confirmed that he was committed to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, through large-scale forced migration of Palestinians from Gaza;
— on the same date, 28th May, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that he had directed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to increase its occupation of Gaza to 70 per cent of the territory;
— since October 2023, nearly 1,500 Palestinians have been murdered in the West Bank;
— violent settlers are acting with complete impunity in the West Bank, murdering Palestinians, razing Palestinian villages to the ground, and forcibly expelling Palestinians from their homes;
— since 2020, Israeli courts have not handed down any jail sentences to settlers found responsible for the deaths of Palestinians;
— Israel's bombardment of Lebanon has intensified in recent weeks, with approximately 20 per cent of Lebanon now occupied; and
— according to a statement from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), on 29th May, 11 children are being killed or injured every day in Lebanon by the IDF;
notes that:
— on 18th May, 2026, the IDF boarded a Gaza aid flotilla in international waters, and kidnapped humanitarian activists, including 13 Irish citizens;
— those citizens were assaulted and abused by members of the Israeli military and publicly goaded by far-right Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, before being deported from Israel;
— at the time, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that the treatment of detained activists was "unacceptable" and "appalling";
— the East 1 settlement construction, East of Jerusalem in Gaza and the West Bank, is currently being pursued by the State of Israel, in breach of international law;
— both the European Union and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, have condemned the East 1 plan being carried out by the State of Israel, stating that these actions damage the viability of a two-state solution, and are in breach of international law; and
— this represents the ongoing denial by Israel of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, is forcible transfer, and constitutes a war crime;
further notes that:
— sportswashing is a known method for apartheid States to distract from breaches of human rights and other unethical conduct, including war crimes;
— the Irish women's basketball team were not financially supported by the Government to boycott playing Israel in the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 qualifier, despite "strong concerns" expressed from Basketball Ireland over the fixture;
— in 1999, the then Fianna Fáil Government prevented a Euro 2000 qualifying match between Ireland and Yugoslavia from taking place, because of Serbian atrocities in Kosovo;
— the Government acted, despite UEFA turning down a request from them to cancel the game;
— at the time, the then Taoiseach said "It is not for a government to force a sporting decision on a body. But if the body refuses to make a decision, then we will have a decision to make";
— in February 2022, FIFA and UEFA banned Russia from all club and international games, after Poland and Sweden refused to play World Cup qualifiers with the team;
— on 5th December, 2025, the Taoiseach described RTÉ's decision to boycott the Eurovision as "an act of solidarity";
— Irish athletes, such as Wheelchair Rugby player Alan Dineen, have stated they will refuse to play against Israel in international competitions;
— the removal of a fixture from grounds within the Republic of Ireland does not represent an appropriate measure, while the support of this measure is a continued endorsement of the fulfilment of fixtures against a State currently in breach of international law; and
— on 28th May, 2026, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport and the Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, announced their intention to boycott the upcoming Ireland-Israel game; and
calls on the Government to:
— advocate, at national and international level, for Israel to be excluded from all international sporting competitions, as long as the genocide and illegal occupation continues; and
— support Irish sporting bodies to boycott fixtures, events, and competitions, where Israel is competing, as long as the genocide and illegal occupation continues.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes:
— that the Irish people are deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and Gulf region, particularly the situation in Palestine, and that the Government is committed to working with key partners to end the conflict;
— that Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law, and the Government continues to press for appropriate action, both at European Union (EU) and international level, in response to egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles;
— Ireland's commitment to working with key partners to end the conflict in Gaza, and to advancing a sustainable peace plan and addressing the huge challenges facing Palestinians in Gaza;
— the Government's grave concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with intolerable conditions;
— that Israel must immediately remove restrictions on aid access and facilitate essential supplies and services to reach people across the Gaza Strip;
— the Government's condemnation of the law passed by the Israeli parliament to expand the scope of the death penalty and revive its implementation in Israel and occupied Palestine;
— the particular concerns about the discriminatory nature of the law as it relates to Palestinians, and that the implementation of this law would give rise to serious breaches of international human rights law and international humanitarian law;
— the approval and publication of the text of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026, noting that the Bill fulfils the commitment set out in the Programme for Government, to progress legislation to prohibit the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, and further noting the proposed introduction of the Bill in Dáil Éireann this week;
— that, in line with the Taoiseach's statement, Ireland will act to prevent those members of the Government of Israel who have been instrumental in fomenting the unfolding disaster in Gaza, and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has instructed immigration officers to refuse entry to Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security of Israel, and Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance of Israel, should they seek to enter Ireland;
— Ireland's support of an EU-wide prohibition on trade with Israeli settlements, and that at both the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) and the FAC Trade in May, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, requested that the European Commission bring forward proposals for a prohibition on EU trade with settlements, on the basis of the EU's Common Commercial Policy, and furthermore, that the Minister also reiterated Ireland's longstanding position that the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended or, at a minimum, that the trade elements should be suspended;
— that a number of other member states supported Ireland's call for stronger collective EU action, and agreed that targeted sanctions alone cannot substitute for meaningful measures relating to trade with illegal settlements; and
— that the Taoiseach also wrote to European Council President, António Costa, on 20th May, reiterating Ireland's position on EU trade with Israel, and requesting an urgent discussion of these issues among EU leaders at the next meeting of the European Council on 18-19 June;
in relation to sport, further notes that:
— the performance and integrity of our top athletes on the international stage have a very positive representational impact for Ireland, as Irish sport provides the world with a window into Ireland and the Irish people, both at home and abroad;
— international success for our top sports people enriches our country in a variety of ways, and Ireland's achievements on the global sporting stage have been a cause of both celebration and inspiration for the Irish public, and will continue to be so into the future; and
— the Government is committed to supporting Irish athletes competing at the highest level of international competition; and
recognises that:
— national governing bodies of sport, such as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), are independent, autonomous bodies responsible for the governance of their own sports, including the organisation of sporting fixtures, whether in domestic or international competitions;
— it is the role of the FAI to decide to fulfil its UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel in September (home) and October (away);
— the FAI has stated that it intends to fulfil both fixtures against Israel;
— the FAI has made this decision in accordance with its obligations as a member of UEFA, the governing body and confederation for football in Europe; and
— the Government acknowledges the FAI's independence and autonomy in arriving at this decision and any decisions it may make in the coming days.".
- (Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Timmy Dooley)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 81; Níl, 68; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Michael.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Ennis, Daniel.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Sinéad Gibney and Cian O'Callaghan.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 81; Níl, 68; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Ardagh, Catherine.
- Boland, Grace.
- Brabazon, Tom.
- Brennan, Shay.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Butterly, Paula.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Malcolm.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Michael.
- Callaghan, Catherine.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carrigy, Micheál.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Cleere, Peter 'Chap'.
- Clendennen, John.
- Collins, Michael.
- Collins, Niall.
- Connolly, John.
- Cooney, Joe.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Cummins, John.
- Currie, Emer.
- Daly, Martin.
- Dempsey, Aisling.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Dolan, Albert.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Foley, Norma.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Geoghegan, James.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Keogh, Keira.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Maxwell, David.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McCarthy, Noel.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McCormack, Tony.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Séamus.
- McGreehan, Erin.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Moynihan, Shane.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Murphy, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Neville, Joe.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Maeve.
- O'Flynn, Ken.
- O'Meara, Ryan.
- O'Shea, John Paul.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cearúil, Naoise.
- Ó Muirí, Naoise.
- Roche, Peter.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Timmins, Edward.
- Toole, Gillian.
- Troy, Robert.
- Ward, Barry.
Níl
- Ahern, Ciarán.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Byrne, Joanna.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Cummins, Jen.
- Daly, Pa.
- Devine, Máire.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Ennis, Daniel.
- Farrelly, Aidan.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gibney, Sinéad.
- Gogarty, Paul Nicholas.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Graves, Ann.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Hayes, Eoin.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Hearne, Rory.
- Heneghan, Barry.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Eoghan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lawless, Paul.
- Lawlor, George.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGettigan, Donna.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Newsome Drennan, Natasha.
- Ní Raghallaigh, Shónagh.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Robert.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Hara, Louis.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán.
- Quaide, Liam.
- Rice, Pádraig.
- Sheehan, Conor.
- Sherlock, Marie.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Wall, Mark.
- Ward, Charles.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Sinéad Gibney and Cian O'Callaghan.
Question declared carried.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar www.oireachtas.ie.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 11.16 p.m. go dtí 8.47 a.m., Déardaoin, an 11 Meitheamh 2026.
The Dáil adjourned at 11.16 p.m. until 8.47 a.m. on Thursday, 11 June 2026.