Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I draw Deputies’ attention to a line from a statement from the European Council on the ongoing situation in Palestine and the crimes inflicted on the Palestinian people by Israel. The council stated, "Settlements are illegal under international law. Israel must stop settlement expansion, prevent settler violence, and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable". The perpetrators of murder and violence against Palestinian men, women and children are the Israeli Defence Forces. The Israeli authorities, backed up by the brutality of the Israeli army, are engaged in a campaign designed to reduce Palestinian territory to a series of scattered enclaves surrounded by security cordons. Where is the direct call from the European Council for the Israeli Government to rein in its defence forces and stop the random, indiscriminate acts of violence against innocent civilians? It is veiled in one line, namely, "Military operations must be proportionate and in line with international humanitarian law". As we know, this has been blindly ignored by Israel. The situation in recent months has been intolerable.

Since 1975, while relations between the EU and Israel have blossomed, Israel has continuously breached the generally accepted rules of international behaviour laid down in the UN Charter. Article 2.4 of the charter states: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations." Throughout its existence as a state, Israel has treated this article of the UN Charter with contempt and has used force against its neighbours regularly. Israel is violating over 30 Security Council resolutions that require action by it. If any other state in the world were guilty of such persistent refusals to obey the will of the international community, it would be subject to continual threats of economic sanctions, military sanctions, or both, from the EU, but no such calls have been made by the EU or the Government. We also remember the direct insult to our capital city in 2018 when Dublin City Council passed a motion supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and Israeli authorities tried unsuccessfully to prevent the then mayor of Dublin Councillor Mícheál Mac Donncha, from entering the Palestinian territories when he was on his way to attend meetings in Ramallah.

The Minister stated recently that at an EU level endeavours are under way to create a group of like-minded states that can change the direction on Palestine within the EU. In order to raise it at a European Council meeting, there must be a focus on the context. Will the Minister of State commit to the Government raising this issue at the next European Council meeting?

We need to move now to stop the killing of innocent Palestinians, attacks on homes, shootings, knife attacks, the theft of livestock and land, and the burning of crops, which occur daily. We must stop attacks such as the recent settler attacks on Palestinians in Huwara in the presence of the Israeli army. A new phenomenon in Palestine is the Israeli army giving settlers a free hand to commit arson, theft and murder.

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