Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Connolly.

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on the significant Amnesty International report on Israel's apartheid against Palestinians, which Amnesty describes as a cruel system of domination and a crime against humanity. Some of us have long known that Israel is an apartheid state, but we can hide from that fact no longer. It is now written in black and white. What are we going to do about it? There are simply no excuses left. We must come out in full support and solidarity with Palestine and its people. As a country, we can no longer pretend we support Palestinians while continuing to facilitate this apartheid system and these terrible crimes against humanity. The previous speaker referred to an Arab party now being in government. In South Africa, there are black policemen; it is the same thing.

The Amnesty report is a bleak and sobering read. It states that Palestinians living in Israel and the occupied territory are disadvantaged according to every well-being indicator for which measures are available. More than 80% of the population depends on international assistance. It found that institutionalised segregation is evident in all aspects of Palestinian life under Israeli control and that Israel's laws and practices deployed against the Palestinian people amount to apartheid.

I might compare our stance on Palestinian and events of a similar nature with our stance on the recent invasion of Ukraine. I note with interest how quickly the entire world imposed sanctions on Russia in response to Putin's violation of international law. This is completely justified and I fully support this move, but we must ask why the same cannot be done to Israel. The shocking fact is that, despite the world knowing about human rights abuses and international law violations that have been happening in Israel and the occupied territory for decades, not a single economic or diplomatic sanction has been placed on Israel. We need to ask what the difference is. Is it that Israel is a de facto member of the EU? There has been talk about the EU having a role to play, but that role is not a good one.

The Minister recently announced that 20,000 Ukrainians will seek refuge in Ireland and that is welcome. However, when the crisis in Kabul emerged last summer, the Government provided fewer than 200 places for Afghan refugees. Again, what is the difference? War is war, no matter where it is. People fled Afghanistan due to war and people are fleeing Ukraine due to war. They should be treated no differently.

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