Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The kidnapping of a young journalist by Belarus was met with loud shouts from the Government and the EU about the need for swift action, sanctions and severe consequences. The Taoiseach said the kidnapping was a state-sponsored coercive act and that the EU would respond very strongly. These strong words and plans for actions and sanctions contrast starkly with the weak and watery position and language directed at Israel for the murder and terror inflicted on Palestine over 11 days, which killed 248 Palestinians. Yesterday, EU leaders agreed a range of sanctions and actions against Belarus almost overnight. However, all we heard about from the Government during the slaughter and terror in Palestine was building consensus, how now was not the right time to recognise the state of Palestine and that we could not introduce sanctions. It is shocking but hardly surprising. The Minister and I know - we all know - that no consensus will be reached because Israel and its sponsors do not want consensus. They want to wipe out Palestine and make a two-state solution impossible. The Government talks about a two-state solution yet only recognises one of those states, and that is the apartheid, racist terror state that is Israel. US President Joe Biden has said in the past that there is no space between the United States and Israel. Over the last week, this Government has shown that there is no space between it and Israel and that there is no space between the EU and Israel. If we are going to stop the slaughter in Palestine, we need to recognise the state of Palestine. We need to implement Senator Black's occupied territories Bill. We need to boycott Israel, we need divestment from Israel and sanctions against it. We need to make it clear to Israel that its land grabs and annexation do not have Ireland's support and that when it grabs land from people and takes other people's homes, there will be consequences because until now there have been none.

See this speech in context