Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today, we formally recognise Palestine as a state. We recognise that Palestine is a state like any other and we recognise that it belongs among the family of nations. Ireland is often said to be Palestine's strongest European supporter, owing to our shared colonial experience. The people of Ireland have long recognised Palestine and it is good the Government has finally caught up with the Irish people on this. We share this recognition with Spain and Norway today and with Sweden, which recognised Palestine in 2014, when we had an opportunity to do that too.

Sinn Féin's motion, which was accepted by the Dáil ten years ago, would have paved way for this; however, the Government sat on its hands.

I pay tribute to those in the Public Gallery and to all those who have been part of grassroots movements that have helped us to get to this point and who have been active for years and in many cases decades. I also pay tribute to the many Palestinians who have spoken truth to power time and again to make their voices heard in a world that simply refuses to listen. As the late Palestinian poet, Professor Refaat Alareer, wrote just days before he was killed by an Israeli airstrike in December, "If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale."

We recognise the Palestinian state against a backdrop of the continuation of a genocide unfolding in Gaza, with the loss of more than 34,000 lives, more than 11,000 people missing, presumed dead, and more than 77,000 wounded, many with life-changing injuries. Recognition of Palestine's nationhood is not enough. It will not stop this genocide or Israel's efforts to remove these people from their ancestral homeland. We need full-blown sanctions. The EU's double standards have been laid bare for all to see. We need to remove Israel's participation in Horizon Europe. We need the EU to revoke the EU-Israel association agreement. We need the imposition of the occupied territories Bill. We have a responsibility as Irish people to shout "Stop". We have to put our heads above the parapet and do everything we can to stop this genocide.

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