Defiant Paul Givan says he 'won't be dictated to' by Sinn Fein - and all rules were followed on Israel trip
Paul Givan says he will answer questions about his actions as education minister – but will not be held to account by a Sinn Fein MLA he described as “a convicted terrorist who supports terrorists in Hamas”.
The DUP minister has faced questions from Assembly members over his recent trip to Israel as part of a cross-party delegation, funded by the Israeli government.
Sinn Fein, SDLP and Alliance MLAs have backed a no confidence motion in Mr Givan over the trip – and the use of departmental resources to promote a visit to a mixed school in Jerusalem.
In a defiant performance at Stormont on Monday, the education minister said that senior officials had reviewed the conduct of of himself and departmental staff over the matter, and that all rules had been followed.
He also accused political rivals of anti-semitism – a charge which was rejected and prompted a complaint from the SDLP to Stormont’s speaker Edwin Poots.
The DUP minister said that Sinn Fein “need to get the message very clearly” that the unionist people of Northern Ireland and his party had put him into office, and he will “never be dictated to” by the republican party.
He faced questioning from the deputy chair of Stormont’s education committee over the trip to Israel during heated scenes in the Assembly chamber on Monday afternoon.
Pat Sheehan MLA said that a “significant number of highly reputable organisations are clear that what is happening in Gaza over the last two years, is a genocide”.
He accused the minister of continuing to “peddle the propaganda of a genocidal regime whose leaders are wanted on international arrest warrants for crimes against humanity”.
Mr Givan noted that the Sinn Fein MLA didn’t ask a question about the education department. “I’m here to be held to account as education minister for the element of that trip that related to my portfolio as education minister.
“[I’m] not here to be held to account by a convicted terrorist who supports terrorists in Hamas. You’re not going to hold me to account for that.
“I’ll hold you to account for your terrorism. What did Mr Sheehan do in his past? Well he has also met with Hamas himself, pictured with Khaled Meshal.
“And what did Khaled Meshal say in respect of the 7th of October and the concern for Palestinian lives? This is what Hamas say, who Pat Sheehan is photographed with.
“’Palestinians lives that are lost are a necessary sacrifice’.
“So don’t give me the crocodile tears when you’re pictured with and supporting Hamas terrorists”, Mr Givan said.
In December 2018, Mary Lou McDonald led a party delegation including Declan Kearney MLA and Pat Sheehan MLA to Palestine. According to a Sinn Fein newsletter, this was for “meetings with senior Palestinian leaders, activists and refugees” in the West Bank, during which Ms McDonald laid a wreath at the mausoleum of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (the founder of Fatah, Hamas' political rival).
Mary Lou McDonald condemned the October 7 Hamas attack as “truly horrific,” describing the targeting of civilians and taking of hostages as “inexcusable”.
During Monday’s debate at Stormont, Alliance deputy leader Eoin Tennyson said his party has been consistent in its condemnation of Hamas terrorism “and of the genocide unfolding under the Israeli government”.
He asked whether Mr Givan was there in a party political capacity or as a minister, “in which case you've potentially breached the functioning of government act by not having officials there at that engagement with you”.
The education minster said the issue “has been reviewed by my permanent secretary and senior officials, and they have found that I and every official in the department have acted entirely appropriately when it comes to this visit”.
With regard to the position of the Alliance leader and justice minister Naomi Long, Mr Givan said MLAs had set “a very low bar” for no confidence motions – adding “be careful what you wish for”.
He said at least one minister was “elected cross-community by this Assembly” – a nod to Mrs Long’s post requiring support from both unionists and nationalists, outside the normal process for electing ministers.
On the Alliance Party he said “We all know what's going on in the Alliance Party. They're now being led by Gerry Carroll, who tweeted on the seventh of October ‘victory to the Palestinian resistance’.”