Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)

As a spokesperson on children for the Social Democrats I will begin by bearing in mind the 50,000 children and young people who have been killed or injured in this genocide since 2023. To quote UNICEF, "The children of Gaza need protection. They need food, water, and medicine. They need a ceasefire. But more than anything, they need immediate, collective action to stop this once and for all." A total of 1.7 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance. Rates of malnutrition continue to rise among the children of Gaza. This week on RTÉ James Elder, speaking from Gaza, said, "There's no exaggeration, every single child in this place needs mental health support. It's night after night of bombardment. There's not a child here who doesn't know someone who's been killed, who hasn't seen the most ghastly ghastly wounds."

In Gaza, 95% of school buildings have been damaged. Yesterday, the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, said that anything that can be done to make sure the eyes of the world are fixed on Gaza at a time when the international community is failing to do enough for Gaza and for the children of Gaza is a good and appropriate thing. He said anything that can be done. Here you go. However, on the same day that the Tánaiste said this, the Government tabled an amendment to this motion that completely contradicts the "anything that can be done" call to action. The Social Democrats' motion asks the Government to advise the Central Bank that it is acting in violation of the Genocide Convention by facilitating the sale of bonds. The Government amendment condemns the renewed Israeli offensive. The Social Democrats' motion tells the Central Bank that by acting as the enabling cog in the fundraising machine, it is putting the State at risk of a charge of complicity in genocide. The Government's amendment urges all parties to return to talks. The Social Democrat's motion insists that the Central Bank immediately ends its facilitation of the sale of Israeli bonds. The Government's amendment tells us that it would progress legislation prohibiting goods from settlements, but not services. It is a much-weakened occupied territories Bill that is not what the Government told the electorate it would do.

The Social Democrats' motion asks the Government to enact emergency legislation to explicitly force the Central Bank to stop facilitating the sale of these bonds. The amendment says that the Government has received advice from the Attorney General that such legislation would not be compatible with our EU obligations. In the interests of transparency, I appeal to the Minister to publish this advice to show us what the legal impediment to progressing this is.

Like my colleagues, I appeal to the Minister to allow a vote of conscience on this. We all know what would happen tonight. TDs from across the House would support it. Why? It is the right thing to do. It supports the Tánaiste's "anything that can be done" call to action. The Social Democrats' motion calls for action, while the Government simply offers more words.

I want to be clear that I am very proud to associated with the words the Minister and his colleagues in Cabinet have said in recent months and the leadership that has been shown. However, I want to be associated with a national Parliament that can say it has done everything in its power to do right by the children and people of Gaza and Palestine.

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