Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said after his visit to Palestine that he was deeply distressed by what he witnessed. The main pillars that upheld apartheid South Africa are being replicated today in Israel, especially in the West Bank, the demarcation of the population into racial groups, the forcing of the different designated groups to reside in different geographic areas, the restriction of movement between those areas and the repressive security matrix, which includes detention, torture, censorship, banning and extrajudicial assassinations. However, one South African journalist wrote: "We never experienced, even in the worst days of apartheid, helicopter gunships and fighter jets flying over, or tanks patrolling".

Israel is committing a textbook case of apartheid and genocide, yet people still remain divided on this issue. Are the lives of one population worth more than another? Israel continues to act contrary to international law. It is in effect rendering international law worthless and meaningless. It must be held accountable by the ICC, the EU and the international community. The Irish people clearly stand with Palestine and I urge all leaders and countries to follow suit. The actions we take today will be remembered through the annals of history. We must work together to impose sanctions and put economic and cultural pressure on the State of Israel. We must not be complicit as a modern-day genocide unfolds before our eyes. We must choose what side of history we want to be on. As Archbishop Tutu once said, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

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