Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)

I thank Sinn Féin for introducing this Bill, which aims to empower the Minister for Finance to impose restrictions on securities issued by the State of Israel. Ireland is the home country for Israeli bonds sold in the European Union. It is up to non-EU countries to decide which member state they want to sell their bonds from. The Central Bank can only object if it believes it has no legal jurisdiction for the approval. This Bill intends to change that.

The sale of these bonds makes us complicit in Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people. It is clear that the money raised from these bonds is being used to finance genocide in Gaza. It may seem or be portrayed as a neutral technical transaction to facilitate the sale of Israeli bonds through our Central Bank but the sale of these bonds allows Israel to buy warplanes, missiles, ammunition and targeting software. What is put forward as a clean technical transaction and something so mundane that we could not stop it even if we tried is raising the money needed to keep aid out and to raze Gaza to the ground. The Governor and the Central Bank commission say that, because they are not marketed as war bonds, there is nothing the bank can do. They say that the evidence of their being war bonds comes from press sources, which is not enough to warrant action. Through our role in facilitating the sale of these bonds in the EU, Ireland makes possible the horrific war crimes we see on our screens every day. We become complicit.

Níl sé maith go leor go mbeadh an Rialtas sásta tada a dhéanamh chun díol na mbannaí seo a stopadh. Caithfimid gach rud gur féidir linn a dhéanamh chun an cinedhíothú i nGaza a stopadh. Is é sin díreach céard atá sa Bhille seo. If people will not act because they believe they cannot, we, as legislators, must prove that they can. We are meant to lead in this Chamber. When we are silent and fail to act, we make it harder for everyone else to act.

The Central Bank has said several times that its hands are tied as regards these bonds but its own ethical code of conduct states, "Acting with integrity requires a higher standard of behaviour than simply achieving a basic level of compliance with applicable laws and/or regulations." I argue that the Genocide Convention trumps banking law. Our duty to prevent genocide does not come from a court ruling but from the evidence before our eyes. It is easy for the Central Bank to fail to live up to those words when we in this Chamber also fail to live up to the words we speak. We have a chance to make sure we all live up to our obligation to prevent and stop genocide. If the Central Bank will not act to stop the sale of these bonds and not to renew the licence in a few months' time, we in this Chamber must lead to make this happen.

We have seen how mundane transactions and business as usual have allowed genocide to continue. Every packet of dates or soft drink sold generates the little profits that make war possible. We have seen the brave resistance of people in the face of prosecution in jurisdictions all over the world in supporting boycotts, divestments and sanctions. There cannot be any business as usual in the face of genocide. There cannot be any more delay. We need to ban the sale of these bonds through our Central Bank.

Le rófhada, tá an Rialtas tar éis dul i bhfolach taobh thiar d'fhocail agus taobh thiar d'airgead tugtha mar chabhair dhaonnúil. Níl aon duine sa Seomra seo ag rá nár chóir na rudaí sin a dhéanamh ach is léir dúinn ar fad go bhfuil i bhfad níos mó rudaí ann gur féidir linn a dhéanamh chun a chur in aghaidh an chinedhíothaithe i nGaza. Caithfimid a bheith mar cheannairí ní hamháin lenár bhfocail ach lenár ngníomhartha.

We have seen the result of governments, institutions and the world doing less than the bare minimum to live up to our duties and obligations under the Genocide Convention, human rights law and international law. Over a year and a half ago, we saw a hospital bombed. We then saw another and another. We waited for the international community to take action. We waited for our Government to take action. The Palestinian people waited for anyone to take action. Only in recent weeks has rhetoric changed. The European Union will review the EU-Israel association agreement but let us remember that suspension would only revoke a privilege that Israel enjoys with its largest trading partner. A year and a half later, we still wait for sanctions and the occupied territories Bill and we allow these bonds to be sold through the facilitation of our Central Bank. Many in the Government will be at pains to say that we have done more than other countries. The Minister said it in his response. However, Ireland has not even done the bare minimum. I will say again what I said last week - the bar on this is not just low; it is buried under the rubble in Gaza. If we and the world want to stop this genocide, we need to start with the bare minimum and then we must build and build until Israel is stopped and the people of Palestine are free. We owe that much to the children, women and men we have waited to help. Passing this Bill is a step towards doing just that.

It is clear from the legal advice the OPLA provided to Sinn Féin that this Bill is robust and workable and should be passed. We in the Social Democrats will not close our eyes. We will not look away, we will not be made complicit in genocide and we will not stop fighting until this genocide is stopped and peace, justice and self-determination are guaranteed for the Palestinian people.

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