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

I am sharing time with Deputy Ward. On 17 March, the International Criminal Court, ICC, took the brave step of finally issuing an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, and I commend the speed at which the ICC operated on this case. It took less than four weeks for these arrest warrants to be issued by the court. At its heart, the Rome Statute of the ICC clearly states the international crimes the court has jurisdiction to investigate, including crimes such as deportation or the forcible transfer of population, torture, persecution, apartheid, murder, cruel treatment and sentencing or execution without due process. As I read this list, the apartheid State of Israel comes to mind in respect of each and every one of those crimes.

Over the weekend, the death toll of Palestinians rose again. One Palestinian was executed with a single shot to the head at point-blank range as he lay face down on the ground. In the middle of the day, in the middle of a busy street, he was murdered by undercover Israeli agents. When will arrest warrants issue for those who are responsible for these brutal crimes being inflicted on the people of Palestine? Over the weekend, the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, stated, “There is no such thing as a Palestinian people." This Israeli Government has done away with all pretence that it wants to engage in diplomacy. It is now the case that Ireland believes we should hold the Russians to account but allow apartheid Israel to kill away and build illegal settlements. When will enough be enough? We have a two-tier approach to international law.

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