Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I share the frustrations of the speakers about the current situation in Palestine and the impunity that the international community, including Ireland, provides for Israel. For those who are watching the proceedings at home, some of the witnesses' comments this morning will be shocking, especially the idea that Israel portrays itself as a very liberal society that, for example, recognises the gay community, takes part in the Eurovision song contest and has a European outlook. People are then shocked to hear how Israel treats the Palestinians and what is happening with the occupation. That one group of people get access to a huge amount of water to fill a swimming pool, particularly in a region such as the Middle East where people clearly cannot survive without water, while another group is confined to small amounts will shock most people.

The idea of settlements should not be a surprise to people in Ireland. Looking back on our own history, we had conflict and war and we also had plantation similar to the settlement process, where people were moved off their lands though conflict and hunger. They were forced off their land and the phrase that was used was "To hell or to Connacht" during Cromwell's time, but plantation happened before that also. People suggest there may similarities between Ireland and what is happening in Palestine. People look at the Irish peace process and ask why would anybody be against peace. This is the big question asked by people in Ireland. The Irish peace process, however, is a bit different in that all the parties had come to a conclusion that there could be no military victory on any side. That was the conclusion and one of the reasons that people went to the table. Many of the parties also had an idea of a plan for how the situation would resolve, and those discussions went on.

People have a difficulty in respect of the Palestinian peace process with some saying it is a sham or a cover-up for what the Israelis are doing. Looking at the map, the Israelis do not need to do a peace process as they are clearly killing the green area that is supposed to be Palestinian, which is shrinking in size. I suppose that the Israeli policy on settlements is working for them, but perhaps the witnesses will explain the idea of a settlement. What happens if a settler moves into a house in a particular area? Do the remaining Palestinians then live around the house where the settler is living? Does the military move in to protect the settler? What happens to the families who live in that area? It would be useful to have this explained for people who may watch this committee from home.

In her role as executive secretary for the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Dr. Khalaf Hunaidi worked on the report that detailed the apartheid system operated by Israel in the occupied Palestine. The report is hard hitting but necessary. Dr. Khalaf Hunaidi was put under pressure to withdraw the report and it is regrettable that she had to resign. Will the witness explain why she thinks certain forces within the UN attacked her over the report? They had said the report had not gone through due process and so on. When will the UN wake up to this, finally accept that an apartheid system operates in that area and challenge it as was done with South Africa? Dr. Khalaf Hunaidi has clearly outlined, to the committee and in her report, the situation and many of the issues, but what is the difference between Israel now and South Africa at that time?

The witness has also referred to the military links and how Israel probably would not survive without its military complex, the technology it buys and its arms sales around the world. How important is this for countries such as Ireland? We have information technology companies that are quite successful and they might supply components that could be useful in the technology. With regard to the South African issue, during the apartheid regime there was a ban on certain elements, for example, such as for military helicopters, but it was not in place for helicopters used for health and safety or rescue. That was how they got around that issue. The apartheid regime could simply use it for peaceful purposes. Within these comments I have tried to outline the frustration shared by people in Ireland. We as a people want to know what our country and our Government can do to move beyond this stalemate and beyond the colonisation that is happening. It is clearly killing off the idea of a two-state solution and is killing off the prospect of the Palestinian people ever having self-determination and freedom in their own land.