Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to discuss Gaza. The Government motion is a small step in the right direction, but it does not go anywhere near far enough. There is not one mention of a ceasefire anywhere in the motion. An immediate ceasefire is the one thing that will stop the slaughter of innocent civilians now.

What we are witnessing in Gaza is barbaric and inhumane. Let us be under no illusion - what we are witnessing is genocide. As good citizens, we are often asked to come forward and give testimony if we have witnessed a crime. I thank the more than 25,000 people who have taken the time to contact me and ask me and other Deputies to use our position to give testimony on their behalf. We are discussing this Government motion on Palestine because the Government was dragged to this position by the Irish people, who took to the streets in their hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands. The citizens of this country who lobbied me and all other TDs need to be commended.

Ireland has not only a moral obligation, but also a legal one under the 1948 genocide convention, to act to prevent the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. I note that the Government motion states that it will "strongly consider an intervention in the South Africa v Israel case at the ICJ ... following the necessary legal and policy analysis". Other Deputies and I would like to see what this “necessary legal and policy analysis" looks like. I have not seen it yet. Ireland can take a case against Israel independently or join the South African ICJ case. Palestinian people do not have time for considerations. They are dying.

There is no time to lose as Israel’s indiscriminate bombing, shooting, starvation, dehydration and torture of Palestinian people continues at pace. Israel's denial of healthcare, communication, movement, shelter and the basic needs of children and adults in Gaza has shown no signs of letting up. More than 25,000 people have been killed in Gaza. This is collective punishment. This is a war crime. This is genocide. Every university in Gaza has been destroyed. For example, last week saw the controlled explosion of Israa University in south Gaza. The IDF had already commandeered the university as a military base. There was no reason for the IDF to have destroyed it other than to destroy future generations' chances of education.

Hospitals are targeted and medical staff are killed while treating patients. On average, more than ten children have lost one or both of their legs every day in Gaza since 7 October, with many amputations performed without anaesthesia. Just take a minute to let that sink in - children are having limbs amputated without pain relief. I do not know about the Minister of State, but my mind cannot comprehend that. Ms Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, the Irish lawyer on the South African case, raised the acronym WCNSF – wounded child, no surviving family. WCNSF was created by Israel. More than 100 journalists have been killed by Israel and, in many cases, we have seen the annihilation of entire families. Israel is using internationally banned weapons to shell civilians in the Gaza Strip. We have seen the mass displacement of nearly 2 million people. Now we are seeing induced famine as another form of collective punishment. On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister rejected calls for Palestinian sovereignty. Basically, Israel will not stop until Palestine does not exist. I am from a party that supports a two-state solution, but Israel reneged on that from the get-go. Israel's apartheid regime existed long before 7 October. It has operated for decades. Before 7 October, illegal Israel settlements in Palestine were constant.

Ireland can do many things. Words are cheap - we need action. Ireland must support the South African case. Are the lives of Ukrainians worth more than Palestinians'? This is sheer hypocrisy and unacceptable. Ireland can simply recognise the state of Palestine. That is in the programme for Government. Now that it is in government, though, the Government has reneged on this promise. The Tánaiste's excuse - that he does not want Ireland to be an outlier - does not wash in this instance. One hundred and thirty-nine other countries around the world have recognised the state of Palestine. Ireland must join them. We can enact the occupied territories Bill. The Government must also divest itself urgently of investments in Israeli businesses operating in occupied Palestinian territories. There is plenty of condemnation in the Government motion, but condemnation without sanctions is futile.

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