Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I strongly condemn the rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia around the world in the last weeks. The life of a child in Gaza has exactly the same value as the life of a child in Israel or Ireland. If a child loses their parents, that grief is the same whether that child is Irish, Palestinian or Israeli. It knows no borders and no boundaries.

During the Nakba, or disaster, in 1948, between 700,000 and 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes or forced to flee in fear of their lives. Most thought they would be able to return in a matter of weeks when the violence had subsided. However, in direct contravention of international law, Israel never allowed those refugees to return to their homes. Their homes were either bulldozed or occupied by settlers. Now, 75 years later, we see the families of those refugees expelled during the Nakba once again being expelled from their homes in Gaza, with 1.6 million Palestinians being forced to flee from their homes. We must take a stand against this forced displacement of the Palestinian people. We must name it for what it is. This is a barbaric act of ethnic cleansing. What is happening in Gaza now is utterly unacceptable. Almost 1.6 million Palestinians have been expelled from their homes. People are unable to get access to safe drinking water and have been forced to drink water from the sea that makes them sick. Hospitals, schools, ambulances, refugee camps, medics, bakeries have all been bombed and attacked by Israel. UN relief workers have been killed. Journalists and media workers have been killed simply doing their job. Newborns in incubators in Al-Shifa Hospital have lost their lives as a result of the Israeli attacks. According the UN, there are no bakeries operating in north Gaza. None is able to bake bread.

These barbaric and cruel actions of the Israeli Government are a clear breach of international law. They are war crimes. What we need urgently now is a ceasefire and an immediate cessation of bombing and murder of innocent civilians. We need all hostages released and an end to the blockade so that relief and crucial medical supplies can get into Gaza. The Israeli Government must be held accountable for the war crimes it is committing now in Gaza. Let us be very clear. While it is not technically necessary for the Irish Government to make a referral to the ICC, such a referral would be very significant and would give the prosecutors important backing. For example, Ireland along with 42 other countries supported a referral to the ICC in respect of war crimes that were taking place in Ukraine. That was in March 2022. Ireland did not have to make that referral but it did it because it was the right thing to do. It should do likewise in respect of the war crimes Israel is committing now. Ireland must do everything it can to assist the office of the prosecutor in gaining access to Israel and the occupied territories for the purpose of investigating international war crimes. Multiple recent statements by chief prosecutor Karim Khan have made it very clear that he is urgently trying to gain access.

The international community must speak out. Their silence must be broken. The Irish Government must strengthen its position. The Government should advocate for effective measures such as economic sanctions and the invocation of the human rights clause in the Israel-EU trade deal. We stand at a critical juncture and must do everything we can as immediate action can make the difference between life and death for thousands more. It is critically important for the Irish Government to recognise that under the Geneva Convention, we need to uphold our legal obligation to ensure that international humanitarian law is respected by other States. The Irish Government must, therefore, outline what measures it will take to comply with this obligation. That is missing from the Government's amendment to the motion.

I say to backbench Government Deputies from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party that it is not enough to express outrage at what is happening in Gaza. It is not enough to make those calls. They and the Government must act. Ireland can do effective things to put pressure on Israel to stop its slaughter now. That means Government Deputies voting with our motion for effective measures. This is their opportunity to make a stand and to make sure Ireland shows the leadership on this that is necessary.

See this speech in context