Dr. Bernard Sabella:

Allow me first to thank the Chairman and members of the joint committee for extending this invitation. The reality on the ground today points to this cycle of violence as having had a toll of 120 Palestinians killed, including 30 children, some as young as 14, and thousands injured. On the Israeli side, according to Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, 17 Israelis have been killed and more than 160 injured. The immediate reason for the current cycle of confrontation was the provocative visits in September during the Jewish high holidays of right-wing religious Israelis, including some politically influential persons, to the Noble Sanctuary, al-Haram al-Sharif, where the mosques of al-Aqsa and the Rock are found - the golden dome in Jerusalem.

Some of these visitors, contrary to the status quoof this Muslim holy site, used their visit to pray on the holy compound. This led to fears and anxiety among Palestinians that the real intention of the visits is to eventually divide the holy compound and thus to go counter to the status quo. The Islamic religious authorities allow visits unhindered to the holy site but not to use the visits to provoke the Muslim faithful. In addition, the Israeli authorities have imposed access restrictions on entry of Muslims to the holy site and increased the number of visits by senior Israeli officials and prominent right-wing figures, which further reinforced the fear that the real intention is to change the status quoof al-Haram al-Sharif. As a result of confrontations, dozens were injured and damage was caused to the holy site.

There is an indigenous Christian community in the Holy Land, which altogether between Israel and Palestine totals between 165,000 and 170,000 indigenous Christians. They are Palestinians who speak Arabic, celebrate Christmas and who are 100% Palestinian. They feel Palestinian like myself, despite the name that sounds either French or Italian. However, we are bona fide Palestinians. The heads of 13 officially recognised churches in Jerusalem came out with a statement in which they said:

We condemn all threats of change to historical (status quo) situation in the al-Aqsa Mosque (Haram al-Sharif) and its courtyard, all buildings, and in the city of Jerusalem. Any threat to its continuity and integrity could easily lead to unpredictable consequences which would be most unwelcome in the present delicate political climate. Muslims have the right to free access and worship to the al-Aqsa Mosque.

As this confrontation continues, the change in open-fire orders by the Israeli authorities and the increase of minimum sentences for stone throwing and the imposition of heavy fines on parents of minors who commit these offences have all led to a worsening of the general climate not simply in Jerusalem but across the entire occupied Palestinian territory. As a result hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, thousands have been injured while scores of Israelis have been killed and more than 100 have been injured. Some of the implemented open-fire orders amount to extra-judicial killings, as pointed out by human rights organisations, both local and international, and by UN special rapporteurs on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory - Makarim Wibisono and Christof Heyns.

However, aside from this religiously motivated development, the overall situation in the Palestinian occupied territories drives Palestinians, particularly young people among us, to despair. We are also desperate. Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank continues unabated and the refusal of the Israeli Government to desist from housing expansion in these settlements and the construction of new ones has been the primary cause for the impasse in the political process. In addition, there was violence by Israeli settlers on the night of 31 July 2015. Two young settlers fire bombed the living room of the Dawabsheh family in the Palestinian village of Duma in the Nablus region, which is north of Jerusalem, and this resulted in the tragic immediate death of Ali, an 18-month old baby and the death of both his father Sa’ad and his mother Riham, who succumbed to serious burns on 8 August and 7 September, respectively. This has have left all of us in Palestine and those of goodwill worldwide, including some key Israelis, in a state of shock.

All these developments dim the hope not only of the political process but also of the two-state solution. The recent decision of the EU to label settlement products, which is commended, has been countered by an Israeli Government decision to stop discussion on the political process with EU institutions. Clearly, there is a lack of political will and leadership among the Israeli authorities and this is being reflected on the ground with further escalation and continuing confrontation. According to the UNOCHA Humanitarian Bulletin monthly report of September 2015 in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Jan Eliasson, said:

The crisis would not have erupted if Palestinians had a hope of a viable state of their own. The de-escalation of violence together with urgent and real progress towards a negotiated two-state solution are crucial.

The UN Security Council expressed grave concern and called for "the exercise of restraint, refraining from provocative actions and rhetoric, and upholding unchanged the historic status quo" at the al-Haram al-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary. It must be noted that past UN resolutions have declared Israel's unilateral annexation of east Jerusalem, which is the Palestinian Arab part of Jerusalem, unlawful.

We are certainly a people who want life and love freedom. This love is reflected in our desire to exercise our inalienable rights to end occupation, establish our own Palestinian state and live side by side with Israel in a normal and mutually respectful relationship, not one of occupier and occupied. This is the most elementary right if we are to proceed towards a life of independence and dignity.

Our Palestinian people are thankful for all of the political, economic, educational support that Ireland and its great people and Government have given us. I have been a teacher of sociology at Bethlehem University for 25 years. There was a special ten-year or 15-year arrangement between it and University College Dublin, UCD, under which Irish and Palestinian educators worked together side by side. For some time, I was a part of that process. We appreciate this aspect of Irish-Palestinian co-operation.

I repeat my thanks to the distinguished Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for inviting me to address its esteemed members. We trust that their continued support to Palestine and its cause is essential for our legitimate struggle towards ending occupation and establishing our own state. We hope that, through this process, we can reach a real peace in our region. Shukran min Filistin, thanks from Palestine.