Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Journalism is an art form. Many of us admire the great journalists who have exposed the brutality of some terrible regimes. It is a skill in itself. It is a skill of telling the truth to us all. Those words could summarise Shireen Abu Akleh. She was a journalist who enjoyed great trustworthiness and respect across not only the Middle East but the whole world. Two weeks ago, Israel murdered her in cold blood. She was just one of many journalists targeted by the Israel Defense Forces over the past 20 years. Believe it or not, the Israel Defense Forces have a systematic policy of targeting Palestinian journalists because journalists expose the brutality of the Israeli system. To make matters worse, the Israel Defense Forces stated over the weekend that they will not investigate Shireen's murder. Criminals such as the state of Israel do not have a great track record of investigating themselves. That says everything about Israel.

What is happening is incredible not only with regard to journalists but also the citizens of Palestine.

Israel does not even recognise the International Criminal Court in respect of extrajudicial murders which Israel carries out. My question to the Minister is very simple. We have said this many times in the Chamber. Why is there no sanction against Israel? Why are there no consequences for Israel's actions? The Government pays lip service to what Israel does but there are no consequences. There could be simple things done. One is expelling the Israeli ambassador. There are a number of other things, particularly economic sanctions. There seems to be a lack of guile in how we treat Israel. We must recognise what it is. Israel is an apartheid state. If the Government does not recognise that, there is an issue. It is not just us saying it. Many NGOs such as Amnesty International, B'Tselem and others are exposing Israel for what it is. It is an apartheid, racist state. Why will the Minister not recognise that it is an apartheid state? Most importantly, why are there no sanctions against Israel not only from Ireland but from the European Union?

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