Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I commend the tireless work of people across this country in the Palestine solidarity movement and the many groups that have held vigils, protests and fund-raisers for Palestine. Their genuine and active solidarity stands in contrast to Governments that dithered, delayed and now are abandoning the implementation of the occupied territories Bill. This Bill is an important act of solidarity and meaningful action that the people of Gaza and the West Bank really need right now. It has been the action of the Irish public that has pushed the Government into taking actions like recognising the State of Palestine. That public will continue their campaign until the occupied territories Bill is enacted in full. We in the Social Democrats completely support them.

Let there be no mistake about it: our common humanity and the international human rights rule of law lie broken and buried beneath the rubble of Gaza. Tens of thousands of children, women and men were massacred by the Israeli Government - children bombed while playing with their toys, bombed while crying in their parents' arms. Each of the 62,000 people killed had their own story and their own life. As the poet and academic, Refaat Alareer, wrote, who was killed:

If I must die,

you must live

to tell my story

Each of the 2 million people who are trying to rebuild their lives in Gaza has their own right to live their story, as do the entire people of the West Bank. The question for Ireland is: why we are not showing true acts of solidarity that we can achieve such as enacting this Bill? Why are we allowing our airspace still to be used to transit munitions that are being used by the Israeli army? We have to rebuild our common humanity and make real our obligations and responsibilities under international human rights law and agreements. I call on the Government not to do a U-turn, not to abandon its electoral commitments, and to enact the occupied territories Bill.

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