Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Fianna Fáil for tabling this Bill. Tá mé fíor-bhuíoch go bhfuil seans agam caint ar an ábhar an-tábhachtach seo. I commend the Seanad on passing the Bill. In particular, I thank Senator Black for her work on this crucial humanitarian issue. By contrast, the Government's policy is reprehensible, but that is not new. Fine Gael's refusal to honour its programme for Government commitment and implement the democratic votes of both Houses to give formal recognition to the state of Palestine is wilfully shameful. Today and yesterday, there were Israeli attacks in Gaza. Ten years ago this month, Israeli forces invaded the Gaza Strip. It resulted in 13 deaths on the Israeli side, while 1,417 Palestinians were killed, including 313. I visited Israel, the Gaza Strip and Gaza city not long after the first assault and was horrified by the scale of the human tragedy.

The UN report into that invasion concluded that it was a deliberate, disproportionate act by Israeli forces designed to punish, humiliate and terrorise a civilian population. The Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, the separation law, and the theft of water rights and of land for illegal settlements have all been well documented and all are in breach of international law.

The State of Israel is a First World, nuclear-armed and economic power oppressing a largely powerless, impoverished Palestinian people. Despite the fine work being done by many Israeli citizens and NGOs, despite support in Israel for a peace process, the Israeli state snubs diplomacy, rejects international criticism, has no interest in peaceful alternatives and does not see armed force as a measure of last resort - on the contrary, it sees brutal military force as its measure of first resort.

We recognise the State of Israel, despite its flagrant breaches of international law and human rights. I have no issue with that. Fair enough, but why is one state recognised and not the other? Why are no sanctions being brought forward?

On Monday, we celebrated an Chéad Dáil. That was an illegal act. If we follow the rationale of this Minister, those who assembled would not have done anything. They would have sat and decided to do nothing. Women still would not have a vote and slavery would still be legal if we followed his rationale and no one anywhere in the world would have won a single right if we followed his rationale. If we, as a former colony still partitioned, still occupied in part by a Government we do not want, with our proud history of freedom struggle and resistance and our peace process, do not support the people of Palestine, then who will?

There is no wrong time to do the right thing. The Government should support this Bill and I would urge all Teachtaí Dála to do likewise.

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