Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is an important opportunity for us to unite on all sides of this House to condemn what is an attack on what we recognise as democratic standards and the rule of law internationally. In any democracy the role of NGOs in holding the government to account is absolutely critical. All of the six civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations that have been designated as terrorist are internationally respected and endorsed. I have been at numerous international meetings of parliamentarians over recent weeks at which I have listened to testimonies on the importance of their work. You get to the point where you wonder what it will take for the European Union and the international community to stand up and defend these rights. We have the reports from B'Tselem and Human Rights Watch, and I understand there are other reports designating the regime from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan river as an apartheid regime. However, because the Government here does not confront it or deal with it as we did with the South African apartheid regime, it continues to act with impunity. I am therefore not the least bit surprised that it has taken this action because it is never held to account in the international community. It will pay no price for these actions.

What is the impact of this? These organisations' offices can be closed down, staff arrested and potentially jailed and equipment confiscated. These are internationally respected human rights defenders supported by this State and civil society organisations in this State, so this is an important opportunity to unite together in saying this House condemns the Israeli state and demands that it reverse this decision.

See this speech in context