Breakthrough for Irish citizens in Gaza provides boost for Government

Micheál Martin’s trip to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank will get under way with the benefit of a tailwind as the Government was informed yesterday evening that at least one Irish family is expected to be on the list to leave Gaza today. Arthur Beesley, who is travelling with the Tánaiste, broke the story last night - although it does depend on the crossing being open.

The Coalition wasn’t under real political pressure on the failure to extricate Irish citizens from Gaza - yet. But the longer it went on, the greater the test of the Government’s argument that results were more likely through dialogue and without expelling the Israeli ambassador. Diplomatically, the expulsion was a non-starter, but the more time passed, the more EU citizens from other countries exited, the more the Government would have to defend itself against the charge that it had miscalculated. Amid two Dáil votes designed to put pressure on the Government’s position, it’s a timely fillip.

Martin is expected to acknowledge the work Egypt is doing to assist those fleeing Gaza and emphasise work to release hostages and secure the exit of dual citizens - and the flow of aid into the enclave. Talks are also expected on the next phase of the conflict, including the involvement of international teams of experts and the need for the International Criminal Court to investigate with cooperation from all sides.

Elsewhere, the controversy over RTÉ rumbles on, with our lead story this morning reporting that there will be close observation of the station’s compliance with the terms (authored by RTÉ) of its €56 million bailout - and not by the familiar mandarins of the Department of Arts and Media; sources were keen to point out that the overseers will be NewEra, the recession-era value-for-money unit of the National Treasury Management Agency. We are still some way off agreeing a new funding model for RTÉ, as Pat Leahy reports this morning - and that process will harbour its own degree of political risk, with voter sentiment around paying for the national broadcaster potentially coming to a boil as elections loom into view.

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Also on the front page, Colm Keena reports on the Irish investments of sanctioned Russian oligarch and former Chelsea FC owner, Roman Abramovich. It’s a fascinating insight into the opaque, globe-trotting financial system of the super-rich, and will doubtless raise more questions about Ireland’s role in these structures. The timing for the Government is uncomfortable, just as the Government bids to host a top EU agency focused on financial probity, and weeks after a senior official in the Department of Finance said the legislation behind sanctions placed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine did not work in reality.

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Overnight, there was news of a deal to avert government shutdown in the US. But more extraordinarily, allegations of assault against former speaker Kevin McCarthy by a member of his own party, and, er, a near bout of fisticuffs as well as an invitation to “stand your butt up” in a committee room.

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Playbook

Tánaiste Micheál Martin travelled to Cairo last night as part of the first leg of his trip outlined above. We will have coverage through the day online. Tomorrow he will fly on to Israel and the West Bank.

Some ministers out and about in the morning: Catherine Martin will meet the media at around 9.30am at the launch of the Art2023 Next Generation Artists’ Symposium. Expect plenty of RTÉ fare. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien is launching a housing development in Wicklow at 11am.

Action in the Dáil opens at 9.10am with topical issues before the Social Democrats motion on sanctioning Israel and withdrawing diplomatic status for the country’s ambassador here. At midday, it’s Leaders’ Questions, followed by questions on policy or legislation. Taoiseach’s Questions is at lunchtime, before Government Business in the afternoon addresses legislation redrawing constituencies, collective redundancies, safe access zones and the energy windfall tax measures. Votes come at 9pm.

The full schedule for Dáil business can be found here

In the Seanad, legislation from the Department of Justice is working its way through the upper house, which will hear the second stage of laws establishing a new agency to manage domestic sexual and gender-based violence, and Garda bodycams. At teatime, Labour Party Senators have a motion on vacancy and dereliction.

Here’s the full schedule

Over at the committees, the enterprise committee is hearing from officials on sustainable development goals, the social protection committee is hearing about rural broadband and the health committee is hearing about sepsis. All kick off at 9.30am.

The EU affairs committee is at 10.30am, hearing a discussion on future EU treaty change. The arts committee meets at 1.30pm on the development of local and community arts, while Eamon Ryan is in front of the transport committee at the same time. The legislation enabling the direct election of the mayor of Limerick is up at the housing committee at 2pm, and officials from the Department of Public Expenditure are at the budgetary oversight committee at 5.30pm. At the same time, the agriculture committee is hearing about horse racing, followed by representatives from the fisheries industry at 7pm. The environment committee is hearing about future licensing of data centre connections to the gas network. Also at 5.30pm the disability committee continues its examination of rights based care for children with disabilities. Here’s the full schedule

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