Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I acknowledge Sinn Féin's role in having this issue debated tonight. The motion is opportune because, as of now, we have 135 countries that have formally recognised the state of Palestine. I accept the right of the people of Palestine to a state, as well as the right of the people of Israel to a state, but each of them has to recognise the other's rights.

From my own visits to the area, I must ask whether this debate is taking place too late. I say this because of the increasing encroachment of settlements in Jerusalem and on the West Bank especially. Can there be a state of Palestine? Will there be sufficient land left for the people of Palestine to have a viable state? We can see this most graphically on maps of the area. We can see the shrinkage of areas for the Palestinian people. How can a state be created out of pieces of land here and there? They are areas which, as the crow flies, would take five minutes to traverse, but between walls and settlements, it can take from an hour and a half to two hours to get from one place to another. As for trying to navigate between the guidelines and rules for areas A, B and C, Palestinian people spend hours every day queuing. I stood at these checkpoints in Bethlehem and Jerusalem and felt for the Palestinian people who were unable to move freely within their country. That was an excessive burden of humiliation and indignity for them to carry. I also felt for the young Israeli soldiers. They were only teenagers in volatile circumstances, heavily armed and doing military service. As we know, it is a recipe for disaster.

The settlements are the biggest stumbling block to a just and lasting peace and they continue. Settlement building continues. We are in the throes of discussing homelessness in this country and right now Palestinian people are being forcibly evicted from their land. The settlements are illegal under international humanitarian law. There are massive environmental issues and no accountability for settler violence.

The Palestinian Authority has to step up to the mark for its people. There is massive funding from the European Union and I would like to see some of it going to the wonderful Palestinian cultural, artistic, disability and youth groups I met that do fantastic work in the arts, music, theatre, dance and education. These groups use drama and art to empower young people to promote non-violent resistance and peace.

I also acknowledge the Israeli groups, including Breaking the Silence, the Refuseniks, the Rabbis for Justice, and other Israelis who agree with what we are debating. I have met Palestinians who are not sure a two-state solution is the practical answer or that it is not a one-state solution with power sharing. It is important to support the motion which is an expression of support for the Palestinian people, especially in the hope it will bring an end to settlements.

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