Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this motion. What we have seen over the past six weeks in the Middle East has shocked all decent people in the world, including in this country. I condemn the actions of Hamas on 7 October and its attacks on Israeli civilians. In particular, I extend my sympathy to the family of Kim Damti. They are related to the Cooper family in Coolrain near where I come from in south Laois. They have been through a terrible trauma.

However, the actions of Israel are shocking and horrific. This did not start on 7 October. Palestinians have been driven off their land, murdered, tortured, treated as subhuman, forced to live under an apartheid system, humiliated day in, day out and treated as refugees in their own land for the past 75 years. The slaughter of the past five weeks is unprecedented. Whole neighbourhoods have been blown apart. Nowhere is safe in Gaza – hospitals, schools, prayer houses, crèches or homes. Refugees are being bombed and murdered as they flee for their lives. Water, food and medicine are denied. War criminals are doing this. The State of Israel is a war criminal.

Israel is not listening. The ambassador is simply disseminating propaganda on behalf of the Israeli Government and the army carrying out these horrific actions. Anyone who criticises Israel’s actions is branded “antisemitic”. What a load of rubbish. They seek to defend and justify the war crimes committed by their state. Does Israel really believe that it will be safer after all of these actions? That would be ludicrous. Its borders will not be more secure. It is making the whole Middle East, including itself, less secure. It is time to refer Israel to the International Criminal Court. It is time for these war criminals to be charged, brought before the court and treated as they should be on the international stage, namely, as criminals.

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