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

Since the beginning of this year, 140 Palestinians have been murdered by Israeli military forces in Palestine. There have been zero consequences following these murders. In May, the Israeli high court gave a green light to the ethnic cleansing of Masafer Yatta with a mass expulsion order of more than 1,300 Palestinians from the area. The rate at which Israel has been inflicting a cruel system of apartheid on the Palestinian people has been intensifying. It is easy to see why this is the case following the comments from European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, when she stated, "Our shared culture and values have created a deep connection between Europe and Israel." This is an example of the disconnect between European leaders and the public. I am confident when I say that I and the vast majority of people living on this island share no culture or values with apartheid. In fact, we firmly oppose apartheid in Israel just as we did in South Africa. Will the Minister of State raise opposition to these comments and state clearly that Israeli apartheid is not to be welcomed in the EU? Will he demand that Israel will be held to the same rule of law to which Russia is held?

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