Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is imperative that the issue of Palestine dominates the meetings of the European Council tomorrow and Friday. Europe has been too weak and slow in showing its solidarity with Palestine and it is disappointing to see some countries still denying the fact that this genocide is taking place at the hands of Israel. This is despite the fact that reports show Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians. Denial of food constitutes a genocide. It is a war crime. I refer to the way 2.2 million Palestinians, who are facing severe shortages due to Israel destroying food supplies and restricting the flow of food and medicines, have been treated, not only by Israel but by the international community. It is appalling and totally inhumane. These people need our urgent assistance, not weak and empty words. The Europe that allows this situation to continue is a Europe that will not be able to command the commitment of its citizens and it is clear that citizens across Europe are at odds with the ruling classes.

There is also a concerted move in Ireland to undermine our neutrality and this has been led by Fianna Fáil and supported by Fine Gael and the Green Party. This ties in with a militarised European Union, which we are starting to see more and more. Arguments have been made that we need to protect our undersea cables and that this is why we should get rid of neutrality. Why must we be militarily aligned to protect our borders? There are also more than 2,000 miles of these cables in international waters. Are we going to join NATO to police those as well?

We have a unique role as one of the only former colonies that is a member of the European Union and we should use this role to act a liaison between the EU and the rest of the world and be a voice of independence rather than a voice for war, which is what being a member of NATO will bring with it. Is the EU going to mark its place in the world by making itself into fortress Europe or is it going to be a voice for peace? I believe we should be the voice for peace, but the Government believes we should kowtow to our European masters and do what they ask of us. This involves joining military alliances and working to ensure the export industry in Ireland can export dual-use equipment to Israel to assist it in destroying Palestine and killing Palestinians. We should be strong enough to stand up independently in the European Union to be a voice of reason. This is vitally important.

We should also use our voice to be critical of the way Europe is handling immigration and how the Mediterranean has become a deathbed and graveyard for so many thousands upon thousands of people who are dying there every day. I refer to the actions of Europe, what Europe stands for and what Europe is doing. The reason people want to come to Europe is because Europe has destroyed all around it and made sure some countries in Africa cannot survive. We should be acting as a voice of reason and of hope for Africa to ensure African countries can develop and look after their people and work together with their people there.

That would go a long way towards preventing what we see constantly now. Rather than being a fortress Europe we should be an open Europe that wants to work and share with the rest of the world and not keep ourselves closed off from the rest of the world to ensure that nobody comes here. That is what the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers should be looking at rather than what we will see which will be ongoing militarisation and the creation of a fortress Europe that the Government will kowtow to and ensure we will be a part of it without any discussion or debate, which is wrong.

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