Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The issue is the phraseology of apartheid and whether the Government will support the use of that particular word, which has a different weight behind it.

Apartheid is both an international wrong and a crime against humanity. When a crime against humanity is committed, the international community has an obligation to hold the perpetrators to account. There is hope that by shedding more light on Israel's discriminatory system of domination over the Palestinian people, Ireland will intensify efforts to dismantle the harmful policies and practices that prevent Palestinians from living with equal rights and dignity. Amnesty believes that this can only be achieved when the international community holds the Israeli Government and other complicit parties accountable.

Apartheid has no place in the world. States that choose to make allowances for Israel will find themselves on the wrong side of history, as was outlined by Amnesty to the foreign affairs committee last week. It is believed that Israel must dismantle the system of apartheid and must start treating Palestinians as human beings with equal rights and dignity.

At this point I also want to talk about the importance of the occupied territories Bill. I know that the Minister and people across the Chamber find differences with me regarding the importance of the occupied territories Bill. I believe the occupied territories Bill is absolutely essential. It would not simply be targeted at the Israeli state. It would be targeted at occupied territories elsewhere, such as in the Western Sahara, possibly in eastern Europe at this moment in time and in other places too. It means that we make no equivocation. It would mean that we would not be hypocritical. We do not say that when bombs are falling and being inflicted upon one people by another powerful force, that this is different to that situation in another place. Right now, the international community is making huge efforts of solidarity by targeting the Russian Federation. The people of Palestine must be looking on and asking, "Why are we different? Do the bombs not hurt us as much?" The torture, the demolitions, the manner in which their homes are being destroyed; how is that different? There is an obligation on the Irish Republic to not be hypocritical in how we engage. I understand that we want to be seen as neutral actors, but we cannot be neutral in this injustice, be it on the Ukrainian people, on the Palestinian people or anywhere where oppression is being enforced on one group by a powerful force.

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