Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

It is a fact the Irish Central Bank has been facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds. It is also a fact the CEO of the Israeli bonds company has directly linked the money funnelled through Ireland with the ongoing war. There is no doubt what this money is paying for. Money is flowing through Ireland and is being used to buy bombs and bullets, the paraphernalia of war. We know these weapons are taking lives in Gaza as we speak here tonight. These weapons are being used to enforce a brutal cordon that is starving men, women and children. This Bill gives Ireland the power to disrupt the flow of blood money. The Central Bank has said it needs the guidance of Government. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Chambers, is silent. Inaction, allowing billions of euro to be funnelled through our State to fund a genocidal war of aggression, makes us complicit.

We rightly froze billions of euro in Russian assets after the invasion of Ukraine so where is the same rationale and approach in making a stand here? Any Government TD who has ever said they supported Palestine and who was vocal in opposition should nail their colours to the mast and support this Bill. Otherwise, we know it was only talk. This Government is very good at talking. Just look at the watered-down version of the occupied territories Bill. An occupied territories Bill without a ban on services is a tokenistic effort that is only there for Government to garner headlines without addressing the root of the problem.

Practically every Minister's first words in reply to any question are "We intend to" - "We intend to fix the housing crisis", "We intend to solve the shortage of front-line care workers" and "We intend to support children with special needs". We intend to show Ireland has a moral backbone but then why are they so slow when it comes to doing? That is the big question. Why is the Government so slow to do something that will practically change things for the starving people of Gaza?

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