Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are here again not to point fingers but to rally this House to action. The Minister of State has just heard one of his own Government Deputies speak on this. The plight of the oppressed in the occupied Palestinian territory is much worse than it was when last we met to discuss it. We stand here 75 years on from Nakba, with Palestinians still enduring appalling human rights abuses at the hands of the Israeli state. This week, the Dáil can send a potent message, as we have done in the case of Ukraine, of Ireland's unyielding commitment to Palestinian human rights.

We made our stance clear in 2021. The Dáil was the first EU house of parliament to label Israel's illegal occupation a war crime, overwhelmingly backing a Sinn Féin motion. Israel's disproportionate use of force against the Palestinian people should move the Government to commit to our 2014 motion and fully recognise the state of Palestine, yet only words, with no action to back them up, are offered by the Government. Not only that, but by funnelling taxpayers' money into companies operating in the Palestinian territories, the Government teeters on the edge of complicity in Israeli apartheid.

It is time we all held ourselves to account. Thankfully, Israel recently declared an end to the Jenin operation, one of the largest military operations in the Palestinian territories for years. Reports speak of up to 2,000 troops on the ground and, tragically, we already count at least 12 Palestinian lives lost. This escalation serves only to underscore the urgency of the cause. The reality is stark. We need international pressure to rein in Israel's aggression. Official recognition of the state of Palestine could help turn the tide. Let us send an unequivocal message that Ireland supports Palestinian human rights and will not have any hand in endorsing Israeli war crimes.

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