Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for his contribution. I will begin by saying that I do not doubt for a second his care and passion for the issue and I do not believe anybody has a monopoly on such emotions in this Chamber. The term "apartheid" is not just a term but has meaning in international law which has been referred to most particularly in the 1973 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.

How does it benefit the people of Palestine and the people in Gaza and in any of the refugee camps if we do not use the term and if we do not recognise that what they experience is a form of apartheid? During the Tánaiste's recent visit to the Middle East did he witness the denial of their fundamental rights to millions of Palestinians solely because they are Palestinian and not Israeli? Did he witness this with his own eyes? Did he witness a system of domination and suppression forced upon one group of people over another? Did he witness state-sanctioned racial discrimination of one group over another? If so, what does anybody gain by not calling this for what it is, which is a system of apartheid? I fully appreciate the Government's position. I do not agree with it but I certainly do not agree with not calling something for what it is.

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