Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)

I listened to the statements from the EU leaders and what I heard is that this genocide has become so horrific for those who supported the slaughter, agreed that withholding food and water could be used as a weapon of war, supplied the weapons and bombs to target the Palestinians and provided political cover for this genocidal regime talked about trade agreements yesterday for the first time. I am sure the Israeli apartheid regime is quaking in its boots at such mealy-mouthed words.

What tipped them over the edge? Was it that they just want to cover their own arses because of their support for this genocide? Was it the 60,000 dead men, women and children? Was it the horrific murder of 15 humanitarian workers? Just yesterday, a 15-year-old boy who witnessed that murder was shot dead by an Israeli sniper. Was it the destruction of all the hospitals, the schools, or water, electricity and sewage infrastructure? Was it the forced displacement of thousands of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank? They were nowhere near Hamas, nowhere near Gaza. Was it this happening with the full support of the police, military, political and judicial systems in Israel?

Information has come out that 14,000 children are potentially going to die of malnutrition within 48 hours. Just think of that number - 14,000 children. I do not know what moved them to make the statement. This Government - in fairness, I will give it to it - has moved a bit further with words than EU leaders.

Unfortunately, words are not enough. The people of Palestine need action now. They need the end of the military support by EU countries, militaries that many on the Government benches want us to join in some sort of military alliance in the future, which would make us complicit in all of this. We need to expel the ambassadors across the EU, end all trade with this murderous regime, and when the war is over, because all wars end, all of the political and military figures and all of the people who supported this genocide need to end up in court and in jail.

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