Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am sure Mr. Makhlouf is familiar with this even though it is a big regulation. Article 32 reads:

In order to fulfil their duties under this Regulation, competent authorities [which is the Central Bank] shall have, in accordance with national law, at least the following supervisory and investigatory powers: (a) to require issuers, offerors or persons asking for admission to trading on a regulated market to include in the prospectus supplementary information, where necessary for investor protection.

Does that not allow the Central Bank to say in this prospectus to protect investors, to protect people who are buying Israeli bonds, that these bonds are for a war where the International Court of Justice has found that there is plausible cause that Israel is committing a genocide and that the Central Bank should not be authorising a prospectus that does not have those words or terminology in it? This is not shares in Coca-Cola. This is to kill kids. This is the destruction of an entire state. This is incursions into Lebanon and elsewhere. This is carpet bombing. This is ethnic cleansing on a massive scale. The Central Bank has the power to require supplementary information where necessary for the protection of investors. Did the Central Bank look at that clause under Article 32? Will it look at that clause? Will it state that these bonds are now being used as war bonds and that the International Court of Justice has found there is plausible cause to believe a genocide is being carried out by Israel which is using these bonds to fund its war effort? I think it should do that at least.

I would imagine that nobody in the Central Bank wants Ireland to be selling these bonds through the Central Bank, given what is happening. I put it to Mr. Makhlouf that he has enough wriggle room through this regulation to ensure that does not happen. War bonds for this genocide should not be sold through Ireland and should not be sold through the Central Bank. There is enough in this to ensure the Central Bank tells Israel it needs to carry that language or it will not approve it. If the Israelis do not like it, they can take a hike. It is not acceptable. Where in this is there any sanction to the Central Bank of Ireland if it did not approve prospectus? It does not exist.