Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is vital that in any engagement with the American Administration, serious emphasis is placed on where the Irish people stand on the brutal slaughter of the Palestinian people. I am afraid to even talk about the number of deaths now. It is possibly 34,000, and probably a lot more, with 70% of them women and children. We have all heard that Netanyahu has made a promise, no matter what happens on any deal, that he will go into Rafah. We all dread what that will look like. We know the Palestinian people are facing starvation. We need to ensure that all possible pressure is brought to bear on America. We have to continue exerting our own means of pressure at every level. I completely support the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign is holding a rally for Gaza at 2 p.m. on Sunday, 5 May on the Market Square in Dundalk. Similar events are happening across the country.

I agree we need to continue with the work done on divestment. The Government did some initial work on divesting State moneys. As I said previously, around €2.9 million of €4.2 million has been divested from companies that are involved in illegal settlements. That investment must be brought down to zero.

What is the position regarding the recognition of the state of Palestine by Ireland and, hopefully, other countries that will work alongside us? I accept that the level of pressure is not what we would like it be but we have to do what we can to maintain pressure on America, which is giving too much support to Israel, and to make sure Israel is called out for this genocide.

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