Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Palestinian and Moroccan ambassadors to the House. I congratulate Sinn Féin on tabling this motion calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and recognising the state of Palestine. It is particularly interesting that a similar motion has already been passed in the Seanad unanimously. It would be quite unprecedented if in this House the motion were passed unanimously. That would create a precedent indicating the entire Oireachtas is in favour of a particular policy approach.

It is important to note that international recognition of the state of Palestine can copperfasten the two-state solution because it automatically implies international recognition of the State of Israel. That is quite important to certain countries throughout the world. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is destructive, as we all know, and liable to erupt at any time. It destabilises the entire region but its resolution has the potential to bring stability, once and for all, to the Middle East.

The invasion of Gaza, the occupation of the West Bank, the encroachment on East Jerusalem and the establishment of illegal Israeli settlements are serious attacks on the integrity and viability of a Palestinian state. Therefore, it is imperative that the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories be ended immediately.

The freedom of the Palestinian people is being crushed by the occupation. Palestinians are denied basic rights and freedoms, such as the freedom of movement. Checkpoints restrict access to work in schools and the separation wall has annexed vast tracts of the West Bank, disconnecting families and preventing Palestinians from conducting their daily lives. This is particularly evident in East Jerusalem where the permit system adds further obstacles to mobility.

Another kind of freedom denied is freedom to live without harassment as Israeli settlers engage in violence against Palestinian people and their properties with impunity, and as Israeli police fail to investigate and charge the perpetrators. Another freedom denied is that of Palestinians to develop their homes on their lands, as a two-tier planning system allows Israeli settlements to develop and expand while Palestinian homes and essential infrastructure are being demolished daily. Other freedoms denied are the freedom to live peacefully as Bedouins in the Jordan Valley are evacuated from their homes at short notice for days on end; the freedom to walk and drive on the same streets as Israelis, which, incredibly, is not possible; the freedom of governors, mayors and the business community to develop the economic sustainability of their towns and villages since taxes are withheld and economic projects are denied permission, as in Jenin, Hebron and Bethlehem; and freedom of access to natural resources such as water as Israeli settlement consumption per capitafar exceeds that of Palestinians.

These actions seem to be a part of a strategic plan by the Israelis to force Palestinians off their lands and remove their residency rights, particularly in the Jerusalem area. This policy, along with the Separation Wall, has resulted in the agreed boundary based on the 1967 borders being pushed back even further, effectively annexing large tracts of Palestinian lands, as referred to in the Oslo Accords in 1993.

When the countries of the world give their stamp of approval to the new state of Palestine, the moral authority of such broad agreement must not be disregarded. Already 135 countries have formally recognised the state of Palestine, and this motion is an important step towards Ireland's formal recognition of the state of Palestine also. The peace process should now begin in earnest. The EU has a major role to play. It can and should guarantee the security and integrity of the new state of Palestine.

Already, the United States guarantees the security of the state of Israel. On these two pillars, a new peace process for a two-state solution can be built to put an end, once and for all, to the destructive Israeli—Palestinian conflict.

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