Dáil debates

Wednesday, 3 November 2021

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements

 

3:47 pm

Photo of John BradyJohn Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also want to raise the issue of Palestine. What measures or actions were taken at the European Council to raise the continual violation the rights of the Palestinian people, the continued illegal colonial expansion within the occupied territories, the fact a further 3,000 colonial settlement units were given the go-ahead in the West Bank, and the fact Israel has breached international law by designating six Palestinian human rights organisations as terrorist organisations, which is an attempt to censor the ongoing work they do to highlight the apartheid policies of Israel?

I also raise the issue of the hunger strike of seven Palestinians who are protesting against their illegal detention, while no charges have been brought against them. One hunger striker, Kayed Fasfous, is on his 111th day of hunger strike. We are awaiting at any moment the terrible news of his passing. The silence is absolutely deafening from the international community and, indeed, this Government. We took the unprecedented move before the summer recess to declare as illegal the actions of Israel in annexing Palestinian land, but we have done nothing to follow that up. We issue statements of condemnation, which of course is the right thing to do, but we have the power to do more. I have heard Members speak in this House about imposing sanctions on Belarus, but there has been no mention of sanctions as a result of the daily violation of international and human rights laws by the Israeli state.

I do not want to hear words of condemnation. I want to hear words of action. What will this Government do about the hunger strike of seven Palestinian prisoners, who are illegally detained, about the designation of human rights organisations as terrorist organisations, and the continued expansion of illegal colonial settlement units? What actions will be taken at European level and at national level within this parliament? We have the power to take action; we do not have to wait for the EU. We need action and not just empty words of rhetoric.

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