Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this opportunity to contribute to the debate on international security and trade. I also welcome the way the debate has been framed because these two subjects are inextricably linked. They are competencies that go together. I would say sadly that we all too often we see the elevation of trade, economy and jobs by this Government over commitments I believe we have in the space of security, stability and peace.

I am going to speak to that throughout my comments. That inextricable link has always been there. International security, peace and justice are inextricably linked with trade. It is this link that had us impose sanctions on Russia as a result of the illegal occupation and war in Ukraine and led us to boycott South African goods and services during the apartheid years. On the flip side, it is that same link that drove the British to build an empire all those centuries ago and colonise territories on the basis of the proliferation of trade.

Our responsibility to support a stable and healthy economy is all too often used by representatives of the Government as an excuse to avoid stepping up in pushing for peace, justice and respect for human rights, but the Social Democrats believe these two goals do not have to be opposed. We need ambition and courage to push for a better world that then helps to bring about the prosperity and security we need. Unfortunately, the ideology of this Government is business above human rights and security above peace. We must stand up to the bullies or we will be ruled by them. Instead, we are trading away our own values. If we are to take on a more courageous stance as a State and Government, we will see what we have seen in the past with things such as the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the end of apartheid, the European Union and the human rights conventions that we have all signed up to. We can have that if we balance better our commitments to security and trade and take a more courageous stance.

I will focus on the specific experience of Palestine, the occupied territories Bill, which other Deputies have mentioned, and the EU-Israel association agreement at European level. Like many others, I thank the UN special rapporteur, Ms Francesca Albanese, for coming to the Dáil today and for sharing with us her insights and passion in this area. I thank her for inspiring us all. Many of us are channelling her words today. When it comes to trade, we need to acknowledge that much of our trade law is tied to what happens at EU level. Of course, this is not a reason to do nothing. The clear answer to what we can do as a country is to enact the occupied territories Bill. We have clear legal duties in this regard under international law, which has supremacy over EU trade law. With the ruling of the ICJ on the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel, we have a duty to cease trade with the illegal settlements on Palestinian land, both in terms of goods and services.

There is no legal impediment to the enactment of the Bill. While I heard the Tánaiste’s comments in response to Catherine Connolly when he said that the Bill was still very much in the picture, unfortunately every action being done by this Government says otherwise. There has been no meeting with Senator Frances Black since the Government formed or, indeed, since before the election. We have seen the proposal that services be removed from the occupied territories Bill. We are now being told that the Bill itself is going to be replaced by one from the Government. No one, including Senator Black, cares where the Bill comes from or whether it is a Government Bill as long as the spirit of the original Bill is maintained, that is, to deal with the ICJ ruling and implement what is obliged on us as a State by that ruling to cease trading with the illegal occupation of the West Bank. That has to progress.

Regarding the EU-Israel trade agreement, the breaking of the ceasefire agreement by Israel and the denying of the population of Gaza access to humanitarian aid mean we are faced with another glaring trade issue that is going unaddressed, namely, the EU-Israel association agreement, which allows for free trade between Israel and the European Union. That agreement hinges on respect for human rights. It is written clearly in the agreement. It is also clear to me that Israel has no respect for human rights. We should be pushing the EU to suspend the agreement immediately, as it is not valid anymore, given that its conditions are not being fulfilled. The rules of international law, trade law, human rights law and the treaties we signed need to be followed by this Government, not just when it is convenient, but when we must do it. I truly hope the Government raises this matter at the European Council meeting today and tomorrow.

Multilateralism underpins everything we are talking about today. International security for small nations has always derived from peace and stability. I heard the Taoiseach make comments to that effect recently. This means international co-operation and support for international institutions, be they the UN, the ICJ or the ICC. Unfortunately, that represents a tension with our current foreign and defence policy because we are rejecting multilateralism with the plans do to away with the triple lock.

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