George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)

The ongoing genocide in Palestine perpetrated by an Israeli Government hell-bent on wiping out an entire people is something about which we as part of an international community should be hanging our heads in shame. The entire international community is standing idly by and muttering fine words while thousands of babies, children, women and men are wiped out by evil. The entire international community is standing idly by while a modern-day attempt to exterminate a people is happening in full view. Yet we hear the fine words and condemnations of the countries that told us that after the Second World War, never again would people be allowed to be treated in the manner the Jewish community was treated so horrifically. We stand idly by while a fascist right-wing Israeli monster slaughters and starves the innocent children and people of Gaza. As a nation and a people we recall our own Famine, the oppression we suffered for 800 years and our suffering at the hands of imperialism yet we are complicit among our European brethren in the slaughter of the innocents by our inaction. The term "genocide" is not used lightly. It signifies the intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. The actions of the Israeli Government against the Palestinian people fits this definition disturbingly well. The Israeli Government's genocidal actions have created a suffocating environment for the Palestinian people marked by death and starvation. Daily, in front of our eyes, we witness the modern-day extermination of an entire people. The violence, as the world knows, has resulted in a devastating loss of life with in excess of 50,000 innocent civilians, men, women and children slaughtered by evil. The world watches as homes are demolished and families are torn apart yet the international response remains tepid at best. This silence is complicity. Ireland has a rich history of struggle against colonialism and oppression. The Irish people's experience with British rule positions us uniquely to empathise with the plight of the Palestinians. It is time for our Government to reflect on this history and recognise our moral obligation to stand in solidarity with those who are oppressed. Words of sympathy are no longer sufficient. We now need action. One of the most effective ways the Irish Government can support the Palestinian people is by advocating for their rights on the international stage. This Labour Party motion calls for more than just words. The motion asks that Dáil Éireann mandate the Government to call for a new emergency special session of the UN General Assembly where Ireland should table a resolution noting the failure of Security Council and the international community to act to end Israel's war on Gaza and calls for collective measures to enable the development of a lasting ceasefire, a sustainable peace agreement and the creation of an international peacekeeping force for Gaza to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid through the UN and the protection of the safety and security of the Palestinian people. The future of Palestine and its people depend on the actions we take today and every day. Let us not be remembered as bystanders in this critical moment of history.

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