Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

When the Dunnes Stores workers made their stand in the 1980s in Ireland, the Government eventually followed suit. It led the way in confronting the South African apartheid regime internationally with sanctions and eventually that regime and apartheid in South Africa came to an end.

The Palestinian people recently commemorated the Nakba, the catastrophe, the ethnic cleansing of them from their lands. They have endured oppression, tyranny, genocide and now the mass starvation of their people and the world stands by, but I want to talk about us. We cannot even pass the occupied territories Bill, for God's sake. This is not sanctions against a regime or state. This is about the lands stolen by settlers. We are talking about sanctions against settlers who are committing war crimes as defined by international law. We are allowing commerce and trade to be done. We cannot even pass that Bill.

What has happened to us? There was a time when we led the way, inspired by ordinary workers in Dunnes Stores, in moral outrage and the world followed. We have utterly failed to honour our tradition when it comes to the Palestinian people - utterly failed. We cannot even pass the occupied territories Bill. Our Central Bank is dealing with Israeli war bonds. This is a shameful period. The Government should not console itself that it finally recognised the State of Palestine 12 years after a motion was passed by both Houses. It should not console itself that it finally supported the case in the International Court of Justice. It has held back the occupied territories Bill for years and is facilitating war bonds being sold. We are shaming our legacy in respect of a people that needs us so much more than anyone has.

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