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

I acknowledge the presence of the ambassador and I welcome her. For weeks we have seen the geopolitical battle between NATO and Russia being played out and the ordinary people of Ukraine getting caught in the middle. It has received prime coverage from almost all Irish media. On Monday night came the news from the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, that Russia had formally announced recognition of the two breakaway republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. Until then we had been watching the slow demise of the Minsk II agreement. This agreement was mediated with great effort and diplomacy by France and Germany. They brought all of the parties to the table. They developed a resolution that gave hope for peace and stability in the region and the reintegration of the breakaway republics back into Ukraine.

Monday's announcement marked the death of the Minsk II agreement. Now we seem further than ever away from that hope for peace and stability. The reality is that NATO and its EU members will make sufficient financial gains from all of this instability. The military-industrial complex has seen a steady increase in the value of its stocks and shares since the crisis began. Millions upon millions worth of lethal arms produced in Europe are flooding into Ukraine. Much of this will end up in the hands of far-right paramilitaries who have no desire for peace.

Recently An Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, carried out a trade mission to Saudi Arabia. It should be noted the Saudi Arabian Government is one of the biggest clients for European arms, with EU arms purchased by Saudi Arabia frequently ending up in war-torn regions. The brutal war that has been prosecuted on the Yemeni people by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is too often forgotten by the EU. Tens of thousands of Yemeni men, women and children have been killed or maimed by bombs and bullets supplied by EU governments. Where is the outcry against Saudi Arabia? Where are the sanctions and arms embargoes? How do arms sales to Saudi Arabia help EU defence and security? They do not.

We need to see the EU follow the example set by the UN in the 1970s in the fight against apartheid. Ireland needs to be a leading voice in the EU for an urgent arms embargo on the apartheid state of Israel. Last week, unarmed 19 year old Nehad Barghouti was shot dead at a protest by the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. Only last night we heard of a 14-year-old child being murdered by Israeli apartheid occupation forces. The soldiers stripped the child naked and prevented ambulances from reaching him, letting him die on a pavement in the West Bank. Between 2015 and 2020 Germany exported more than €1 billion worth of arms to Israel and Italy exported more than €300 million worth of arms to Israel. Last year, Israel's 11 day military campaign killed at least 253 people, including 66 children in Gaza. How many of these 253 men, women and children were killed by EU weapons? How long will the EU stay silent while EU member states make large profits selling weapons to this apartheid state?

When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 we saw a suite of sanctions and embargoes on Russia. Our view on sanctions is very àla carte. To quote the Minister, Deputy Coveney, in June 2021 he said the boycott of Israeli goods would be counter-productive. This month, the Minister said it is time for the EU to introduce sanctions against Russia. It is all àla carte. How can it be claimed that Ireland is a neutral state when it stands by and watches Palestine burn while Ireland calls for the introduction of sanctions on Russia? When the Minister says "counter-productive" does he mean counter-productive for the EU arms industry and the profit margins? Let us call Israel out for what it is. It is an apartheid state.

See this speech in context