Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Over the past week, the Irish people have shown both their generosity of spirit and their care for global human rights in their response to the human rights violations against the Palestinian people. Due to our colonial history, we have a strong affinity with the Palestinians and the Government must honour that connection. First, it is important to look at recent events not in isolation but as examples of how Palestinians are treated on a daily basis. The current escalation began when the Israeli authorities attempted a forced removal of Palestinians from their homes in neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem. This attempted eviction is still ongoing. It is important to remember that the families at risk of eviction are descendants of those who were made refugees when the state of Israel was created in 1948. They will more than likely be made refugees again.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. In the first quarter of 2021 alone, the Israeli authorities demolished, forced people to demolish or seized at least 292 Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, thereby displacing 450 people, including 246 children. According to the UN, this constitutes a 121% increase in the targeting of structures and a 126% increase in the number of people displaced, compared with the same period in 2020. As of 2019, the estimated that Israel had razed 49,532 Palestinian structures.

These demolitions are further compounded by the increase in Israeli settlements, which have ramped up over the past number of years. Between the West Bank and East Jerusalem, there are now nearly 600,000 settlers. Settlements are strongly linked to the demolitions that have occurred, as each house demolition takes place strategically, with the aim of making way for more settlers. The largest settlement has 80,000 people in it, which is exactly the same population as Galway city. A settler who arrives in the West Bank or East Jerusalem from any place around the globe has more rights than a Palestinian who was born and bred there.

We all know the result of Israel's bombing of Gaza. At least 65 children are dead, media buildings have been destroyed, one of Gaza's few neurologists was murdered and whole families have vanished. Are we really meant to believe Israel when it says it is only targeting terrorists? No one here supports the firing of rockets into civilian areas in Israel but the truth is the truth and the wider context matters very much. For a prolonged period, we have witnessed a sustained attack on the right of Palestinians to exist. A Palestinian life seems to be worth less than that of most others around the globe.

The people of this country are demanding action. We have two options before us. First, the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 represents a real step that we can take. It would ban exports from arriving into this country from illegal settlements and would apply to any occupied territory in the world. The second option is full recognition of the Palestinian state. That is something for which previous Governments have expressed support and we should not be waiting for permission to do it.  It is easy to dismiss either of these measures as token gestures but the occupied territories Bill received global coverage for its potential to act as a model for other nations. The brutality of Israel's actions in Gaza has rallied global solidarity like never before. Even in the USA, many Democratic Party politicians have found their voice. We have a decision to make. Do we want to be on the right side of history and be the leader we can be, or do we want to play it safe?  Israel should have a right to safety, but so should Palestinians. I hope we can play our part in ensuring that happens.

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