Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I call on all Members of this House, regardless of party and whether in government or opposition, to state clearly they will boycott this shameful event happening in the Phoenix Park in the US ambassador’s residence. It is sick and disgusting that they could talk of celebrating the joys of the season when they are blocking attempts to stop a genocidal massacre that is being visited on the people of Gaza.

I also think we need to go further. We should tell the US Government, given its shameful decision to veto the UN resolution - I presume they will do the same again at the UN General Assembly vote that takes place today - that its troops are not welcome in Shannon Airport while it continues to support and condone the massacre that Israel is conducting in Gaza. We need to be going further. I welcome the fact that the Government is calling for a ceasefire but we need sanctions. As Gideon Levy put it, Israel has to pay a price. There need to be serious sanctions, not just on so-called extremist settlers but also on the Government of Israel and the military leaders who are perpetrating a genocide. All of these people should be sanctioned. There should be arrest warrants out for people who are engaged in a mass murder of the people in Gaza.

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