Dáil debates

Wednesday, 2 June 2021

Ceisteanna - Questions

Departmental Functions

1:50 pm

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Last week, the Government unfortunately voted against my amendment seeking to impose sanctions on Israel of the same sort we imposed on apartheid South Africa. I think that is a mistake and I think history will ultimately vindicate the view that this is an apartheid state and that it should be treated in the same way as apartheid South Africa.

Beyond that general proposition, I want to give the Taoiseach a specific instance he should investigate of the apartheid policies of Israel, which is that of Irish passport holders or European Union passport holders who are Palestinian, who cannot travel through Israeli airports to go to Gaza, the West Bank or Jerusalem. The Taoiseach can and I can, but somebody with an Irish passport who goes to Tel Aviv to try to get to Gaza will be turned back and told he or she has to go by Egypt. That is apartheid against our citizens who happen to be Palestinians. What is ironic is that Israelis get a visa waiver to come here or anywhere in Europe. Even the United States does not extend that privilege to Israel precisely because it discriminates against Palestinian co-citizens, but we do. They are discriminating in an apartheid, racist way against our citizens while we are giving a free pass to Israelis. Europe does not give that free pass to Palestinians coming into Europe, so Europe is practising apartheid against Palestinians by denying them the same freedom of access without a visa that it allows to Israelis. That is apartheid and racism, and I would ask the Taoiseach to do something about it.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.