Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Minister should take sides because these are not ordinary prisoners. Most of them have been incarcerated against their will. As the Minister stated, 300 children, who are not part of the hunger strike, are in Israeli prisons. Palestinian prisoners are subjected to the most inhumane treatment Israel can mete out. If it mirrors what Israel does on larger scale - how it treats Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel - it is a terrible reflection on the state of Israel. It is important for the Minister to contact the Israeli ambassador and state that he is extremely worried about the ongoing issue of political prisoners in Israel. It is very important that he relays that message. Only recently, it was reported in the news that Ireland bought military drones from the Israeli military. I find it extraordinary that the Irish Government buys military hardware from a country with an appalling human rights record - a horrendous, obnoxious, racist state such as Israel.

The Minister says he is not going to take sides. That is the problem. He needs to take a side. He needs to see that an oppressor is oppressing the Palestinian people. These men are on hunger strike to highlight that they are being brutalised in Israeli jails. I would do the same as them. Out of solidarity not only with Palestinian prisoners but also the Palestinian people, we should tell the Israeli ambassador that this situation needs to be dealt with before people die.

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