Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is the way it is going to be so the Acting Chair had better get used to it.

I thank People Before Profit-Solidarity for bringing forward this motion. I wholeheartedly support its calls for Israel to immediately cease all settlement activity, restore food, water, electricity and medical supplies and remove all other forms of arbitrary restrictions of movement of people that result in collective punishment. I particularly support the motion's call to close Shannon Airport to the US military by banning US military and US military-contracted aircraft from landing at the airport. In terms of meaningful actions that Ireland can take to support the people of Palestine, this is by far the most important.

While munitions flights are officially banned in Irish airspace, it is at the Minister's discretion to grant exemptions to this ban. More than 1,000 such exemptions have been granted this year alone. This is incredibly concerning given that there is evidence that the US is supplying weapons to Israel through third countries. Although the Government has offered assurances that none of these flights have been destined for Israel this year, the Department's answer to a parliamentary question I recently submitted has shown that these flights are not being vetted properly and no inspections are being carried out. If you are not looking, how can you know what is going on.

As the Minister of State may know, nearly 70 TDs and Senators have cosigned a letter from Civil Engagement Group Senators to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, calling for an immediate and indefinite ban on munitions flights where weapons are destined for Israel. With more than 12,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, it is high time that Ireland took a meaningful stand against America's facilitation of Israel's genocide against the Palestinians. A good first step in that regard would be to ban the use of Shannon for military transport.

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