Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I have said on multiple occasions in this House that Israel would continue to do what it is doing until the world forces it to stop. I was actually so far wrong, it is unbelievable. Israel has not continued to do what it was doing. What we are actually finding out is that the failure of the world to say "Stop" has resulted in Israel becoming even more depraved, gruesome and inhumane in its actions. There is now such a moral gap across the world precisely because nobody said, "Stop". It gives me no great gladness to say that we are all part of the global failure. Yes, the Government has done some very positive things, such as joining the ICJ case taken by South Africa, intervening in the genocide convention. That was a meaningful intervention. I welcome the fact that the Government has increased its contributions to organisations such as UNRWA. However, unless we make a real stand that has a real impact on Israel, all of that will count for nothing. We have to enact the occupied territories Bill and the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill. We have to be sure that not a single bullet passes through Irish airspace on its way to Israel and, yes, we have to stop any suggestion that our Central Bank is being used to funnel funds to the IDF. The Minister has to support this Bill because it will be beyond shameful if the Irish Government does not do so.

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