Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

When will the Government act to prevent a genocide in Gaza? In just over 100 days, more than 25,000 people in Gaza have been killed. As a result of a man-made famine, 80% of the world's hungriest people are now in Gaza. Contagious disease is sweeping through the nearly 2 million displaced people. The healthcare system has been obliterated.

Not only are senior Israeli Government officials making regular genocidal statements, but they are also explicitly rejecting a two-state solution. Yesterday, Israel's foreign affairs minister suggested the international community should build an artificial island in the Mediterranean for Palestinians. It is clear the Israeli Government has lost all grip of reality, proportionality and humanity.

What is the Government waiting for? Is it waiting for the death toll to reach 30,000, 40,000 or 50,000? As the Taoiseach is aware, the Social Democrats have a motion tabled for discussion tomorrow calling on the Government to act and support South Africa's case under the genocide convention against Israel at the International Court of Justice at the earliest opportunity as a matter of urgency. Sometime after 10 p.m. last night, we found out that the Government was changing the Dáil schedule this week to introduce its own motion on Gaza today, in advance of our motion tomorrow. When I read the Government motion, I wonder why it bothered. The motion does not contain any commitment to intervene on the side of South Africa at the International Court of Justice. All it says is that this will be considered after the preliminary ruling. It is obvious the Government does not wish to use or even contemplate the word "genocide" when it comes to Israel's actions in Gaza. That is why it is refusing to take a stance now and signal its support for South Africa at the Court of Justice. It wants to wait until it has the cover of the preliminary ruling and then it will consider its options. This approach lacks courage. It is at odds with the annihilation we are witnessing and the Government's words of support for Palestinians.

While the Government is faffing around, other countries are making their intentions clear. Germany has already announced that it will intervene in the case on the side of Israel, saying it firmly and explicitly rejects the accusation of genocide. The US and the UK have also made their views clear. They have rubbished South Africa's case as unjustified and without merit. Western countries are lining up to support Israel. There could not be more of a pressing need for countries such as Ireland to signal their support for South Africa now. The Government's claim that it cannot do so simply is not credible. In fact, it has a duty to do so. Under the genocide convention, states have a duty to punish and prevent genocide. The first step in fulfilling that duty is to assess the risk of genocide. That means starting the process now, rather than waiting. Will the Taoiseach signal Ireland's intention to intervene at the earliest possible opportunity? Will he start that process now?

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