Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

The Taoiseach gets annoyed when we use the word “complicit”. I believe the Minister does too. What does the word “complicit” mean? I looked it up again before I came to the Chamber. It means “involved in, or knowing something is wrong or unlawful”. The Minister knows something is wrong and unlawful and he has a big chance to do something about it. This is a really clear example. The Irish Central Bank is processing Israeli bonds that the Israeli state itself boasts are crucial to the conflict and the war in which it is involved. That is from Isaac Herzog. The Governor of the Central Bank says the bonds cannot be stopped without a legal basis. There are multiple legal bases, including the genocide convention, the International Court of Justice’s ruling and EU laws that have been cited in the Chamber today.

The Minister said it was an appalling tragedy. It is not an appalling tragedy. This is man-made and designed. I would love to be as calm as the Minister when he spoke. He talked about partners the Government is working with. We heard the Taoiseach yesterday talking about some of them as well. A lot of them are tyrants, by the way. Saudi Arabia and Jordan never give a toss about Palestinians. The Minister also spoke about a two-state solution. Does he think there will be two states left? The way things are going, Palestine will not exist unless there is action. The Minister is parsing and analysing words in the face of a genocide. The Central Bank took over this role after Brexit. An EU state was needed to approve these bonds. Ireland is a lynchpin State for the sale of these bonds. It cannot happen without Ireland's approval. Petty legalities are being used in the face of a genocide. The Government is putting compliance with finance laws above the lives of millions of Palestinians. It is business as usual. That is complicity.

My heart breaks for the people of Palestine. They are victims of an absolutely brutal phase of capitalism right now where colonialism and imperialism are unleashed. Greta Thunberg summed it up absolutely brilliantly yesterday when she was asked why this is happening and why governments are ignoring it. She explained that it was because of racism and a system that is so destructive that it puts short-term profit and geopolitical interests above the needs of humanity. I salute the march to Gaza and other initiatives by ordinary people. We cannot rely on governments like this Government. That is clear.

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