Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I stand in this House today to record once again my solidarity with the long-suffering people of Gaza and Palestine. Let me state in the most unequivocal manner that what we witnessed on our television screens from the Gaza Strip last Monday was state-sponsored murder involving the massacre of 60 Palestinian adults and children. It was a crime against humanity. The almost simultaneous images coming out of Jerusalem last Monday juxtaposed to those coming from the Israeli-imposed border with the Gaza Strip can only be described as gut-wrenching.

It has to be put on record that the current United States President has grossly enflamed this decades-long interface. The decision to relocate the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem is a grave mistake. It has been condemned, rightly, by countries throughout Europe and the world. President Trump has embarked on yet another ill-considered solo run that has directly contributed to the death and slaughter of innocent Palestinian citizens. By carrying out this act, President Trump has provided the rogue state of Israel with a licence to kill. He has the blood of innocent Palestinian children, women and men on his hands. Faith and trust in peace-making efforts have now been set back, it is to be hoped not irreparably. Confidence has been utterly shattered. The present US regime has now passed the point of no return and will never again be viewed as capable of performing as an honest broker in this conflict. It has to its shame taken one side over another. In this instance, that is a fundamental error.

The behaviour of the state of Israel with the deployment of snipers along the Israeli-imposed Gaza Strip limits must be condemned at the highest levels of all decent thinking nations and international bodies. The use of live fire against unarmed civilians needs to be called for what it is: indiscriminate murder. I reiterate, the Israeli state is conducting a campaign of murder against the Palestinian people.

The Irish Government needs to take a strong line on this, far stronger than heretofore. The contemptible comments by an Israeli spokesperson calling for Ireland to move its embassy to Jerusalem as well showed the Israeli regime up for what it is: an uncompassionate and murderous state that has no respect for, and places no worth on, Palestinian lives. The Irish Government should expel the Israeli ambassador with no ifs, no buts and no maybes. The excuse of keeping lines of communication open does not hold water. Israel has no intention of negotiating a lasting peace. It has been brazenly emboldened by the United States and will do whatever it likes at this time.

Palestinian lives simply do not come into consideration.

As with apartheid South Africa, Israel needs to be isolated by the world community and forced into treating the Palestinian people with respect and on an equal basis because it is crystal clear it will not do so voluntarily.

I send my sincere condolences to the families of the 60 people slaughtered on Monday. I demand a cessation of the use of so-called live bullet rounds by Israel in such circumstances in the future. I reaffirm that Sinn Féin stands four-square behind the long-suffering people of Palestine in their struggle for basic human rights, including the right to live and prosper in peace on their own lands.

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