Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is with deep sadness that I contribute to these statements today. It is sadness for the at least 12 Palestinians who were killed after a devastating Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp. It is sadness for their families and the thousands who were forced to flee their homes following this raid, while the camp was left in ruins. It is sadness for the Palestinian minors facing immense emotional and physical abuse having been arrested by Israeli forces. It is sadness that although we continue to have these statements and outline these atrocities over and over, nothing has been done. We refuse to show our support for the Palestinian people in any real or meaningful way. We delayed the passing of the occupied territories Bill more than five years after it was first introduced here. When are we going to take action?

The international community is complicit in Israel’s crimes and Ireland is complicit in Israel’s crimes. We will continue to be as long as we continue this policy of inaction.

I was horrified to read the report by Save the Children published on Monday. It outlined how Palestinian children are the only ones in the world to experience systematic prosecution in military courts. It also outlined the repulsive way Palestinian children are being treated by Israeli forces when detained. The report outlined the experience of former child detainees who detailed violence of a sexual nature, beatings and instances of being handcuffed and blindfolded in small cages in detention centres. How can we continue to turn a blind eye to this immense emotional and physical abuse towards children? I despair to think of the incredible trauma these children are forced to experience at such a young age. Every child has the right to live a life without fear and anxiety. Yet Palestinian children are exposed to violence, conflict and emotional turmoil every single day and are faced with a massive 20-year sentence for stone throwing. There has been a significant increase in child detainees having difficulty returning to their normal life, with many reporting a decrease in hope for their futures. We can hardly be surprised but this is incredibly upsetting.

We can no longer continue to sit on our hands and we can no longer continue to allow EU hypocrisy. We need to condemn unequivocally the state of Israel’s apartheid aggression and the EU and US who turn their eyes away from this genocide. It is not antisemitic to boycott goods from the occupied territories nor is it antisemitic to call out genocide. That is what this is.

See this speech in context