Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)

We cannot equivocate on this issue. The volatility in the Middle East has been caused by Israel's ongoing decades-long genocidal campaign in Palestine and by its recent aggression against Iran. Israel is acting with impunity as the world watches on. Nearly 100,000 people are dead, with many more left permanently disabled or as lone survivors. As Mo Chara said, "The Palestinians have nowhere to go. It’s their ... home and they’re bombing them from the skies". Babies and toddlers have had multiple limbs amputated before they have even learned to walk. Orphaned children are calling out for their parents. Toddlers are on the brink of death because they have been systematically starved to death by Israel. Journalists have been burnt alive and medics have been executed in mass graves.

Palestinians are not just being exterminated with US-supplied bombs. The more insidious killer is now disease and starvation. Israel's denial of aid since March has put all of Gaza's 2.1 million people at risk of famine, with more than three quarters of them at catastrophic or emergency levels of food deprivation according to the World Health Organization. The headlines have reported this as an aid blockade, but this is not an aid blockade. Language in this war has been colonised and distorted. Organisations that should know better, and whose judgment may not be as great as we thought it was, such as the BBC, have frequently reported it as a conflict. It is clearly not a two-sided conflict; it is a starvation campaign. Gaza has been reduced to rubble. It is not possible to produce enough food there. A recent analysis found that more than 90% of cattle had died and 70% of land for crops had been destroyed. Following the cut-off of the electricity supply in March, Israel has also turned electricity into a weapon of war.

To make the situation even worse, Israel is ramping up its genocidal campaign by transforming aid distribution sites into killing fields. As my colleagues have already said, Israeli soldiers have admitted this. According to one report, one IDF soldier admitted that commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear that they posed no threat. When asked about it, they say they have had learnings, but they continue the killing. At least 583 Palestinians have been killed at the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since May. The level of callousness and cruelty on display is unspeakable. Another soldier said "Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They’re treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire ...".

To use Keir Starmer as an example, he is clearly distracting from cutting fuel allowances for older people and his "nation of strangers" speech. He continues to spend his time recommending who should and should not perform at festivals rather than dealing with the ongoing killing campaign by Israel.

While all of this is going on, other countries such as the US and Germany turn a blind eye. Speaking out about dead Palestinian babies can land a person in prison or on a deportation list.

I want to raise the case of Jordan Devlin who is an Irish passport holder. He has been held in Wormwood Scrubs Prison since August of last year. He is one of the Filton 18 activists, along with others. His father has said that his conscience could not stop him. They are charged with offences, including violent disorder and trespass that are not terrorist offences and being held on remand for more than the necessary time because the authorities are using counter-terror legislation to hold them. Jordan's trial will not be until later this year, in November, but some of his co-accused are not going to have trial dates until 2026. These are all people with no previous convictions. Some have offered bail of up to £50,000 and they have been refused. All 18 of them are being held in custody. I ask the Government to take up the case of Jordan Devlin and his co-accused with the British Government at their next meeting. Arguing that international human rights law should be respected can put a person at risk.

Israel is a rogue state. I ask the Government to use its powers to stop Israeli war planes flying through our airspace and enact the war bonds legislation and occupied territories Bill to include goods and services.

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