Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague, Teachta Matt Carthy, for bringing forward the motion and for his work on this matter on behalf of the Palestinian people. Last Friday's judgment from the ICJ was a huge event in this war. While the court may not have used the word "ceasefire", the only way its findings can be implemented is through a full, permanent and complete ceasefire. In one of the most important international court judgments of our time, the ICJ ruled that South Africa has a plausible case and that Israel has a case to answer in respect of violations of the genocide convention. The ruling demands action from the international community and if the Irish Government cannot lend its weight to the South African case, this will be a very sorry state of affairs. Ireland previously intervened in the case of Ukraine v. Russia taken under the genocide convention after an order of provisional measures was issued so why is the Government dragging its feet now? The failure of western countries to fully support the South African case exposes a deep hypocrisy regarding international law and adherence to a global rules-based order and Ireland should not be party to this hypocrisy. The failure of many western countries to call for a ceasefire or back the South African case has shown there is no global rules-based order. These actions are having an immediate and devastating impact on the Palestinian people who are being slaughtered at the hands of Israel in a manner that has few precedents this century. Let it be said that South Africa has put on trial, not just Israel for genocide, but the governments of all those states that stand idly by.

Now is the time for the Government on behalf of the Irish people to indicate that it will join with South Africa in its case to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people. There are no more excuses. Israeli impunity must end. Unanimous support for the Sinn Féin motion this evening would send a huge message from Ireland, heard the world over, that we are firmly on the side of international law, international humanitarian law, and the Charter of the United Nations. The provisional ruling from the court on Friday demands action from the international community. South Africa has shown leadership. Now is the time for our Government to show the same leadership. The Tánaiste in his contribution used "I" more than 20 times, saying "I travelled ... I was the first Minister to ... I hear ... I value...". With the greatest of respect, this is not about the Tánaiste; it is about the nearly 27,000 dead Palestinians.

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