Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I have a couple of questions for the Taoiseach. He will be aware that across the world there is a growing chorus of voices outraged at the continuing persecution of the Palestinian people by Israel, including its continued seizure of Palestinian land, which is supposed to be designated for Palestinians as part of the so-called two-state solution, its demolition of Palestinian property in east Jerusalem, the three cruel assaults on Gaza over recent years, the siege and so on. The Taoiseach will be familiar with all of that. He will know also that those of us who believe this cannot go on are asking at what point will the European Union impose sanctions on a state that systematically and routinely violates the basic civil and human rights of the Palestinian people and has been accused, and is evidently guilty, of crimes against humanity. At what point will the European Union impose sanctions, say this is not acceptable and that it will not continue to treat Israel as a normal state? Is that possibility ever discussed at the European Council, particularly given the current escalation? In other words, is there any discussion at all about sanctions on Israel, including, for example, suspension of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement on trade or suspension of military trade sales with Israel? Is this ever discussed as a possibility given Israel's routine breaches of human rights, civil rights and war atrocities?

The Taoiseach may be aware that those of us who feel enough is enough believe that there should be a boycott of Israel. While he probably does not agree with that, I hope he and the European Union will agree that people should have the right to know where goods are coming from, such that they can choose whether they want to buy goods from states in which they believe routine and systematic human rights violations or war crimes are being committed. One such item, about which I feel the Irish public has a right to know, is diamonds. The largest export from Israel is diamonds. Will the Taoiseach raise this issue with the European Union as part of its involvement in what is known as the Kimberley Process, which relates to the regulation of the diamond industry around the world? At the recent World Diamond Council, it was proposed that the current definition of "conflict diamonds" be expanded to label as "blood diamonds" or "conflict diamonds" diamonds which originate in or - this is very important - were polished or processed in a state which was found guilty of human rights and civil rights violations. That proposal from the World Diamond Council was shot down by the Israeli representative on the council on the basis that it would be a disaster for Israel. I am sure Israel believes it would. Will the Taoiseach support, and raise with the European Union, the need for it to support, within the Kimberley Process in which it is involved, the expansion of the definition of "conflict diamonds" or "blood diamonds" to include diamonds from states guilty of civil and human rights violations and, similarly, the establishment of labelling for diamonds in this country such that people in this country purchasing diamonds would be able to determine not only where the diamonds originated but where they were polished and processed.

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