Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

My message is that we must use every lever at our disposal. I know Ireland is an outlier in relation to the occupied territories Bill, for example, but I respectfully believe that we must include services. Otherwise, it is tokenistic and only goes to soothe our own conscience. We need to turn off the tap of trade from the occupied territories and finally sanction Israel and its ministers for their actions. Then let us utilise our history and expertise in developmental aid and crisis aid that we in Ireland have built up over the decades, and get food and water to those children who are dying as we speak.

I know all of us in this House share the same fundamental commitment to human dignity, justice and the protection of innocent life. We all believe that everyone has a basic right to live free from violence, oppression and fear, but simply holding that belief is not enough. A moral imperative extends beyond statements of condemnation. It has to include delivering humanitarian aid and ensuring that the international institutions uphold their responsibilities. We must risk losing friends if that is what it takes to do the right thing.

My question is this: are we doing all we can on this issue? Are we doing enough? That is the question we are all trying to answer. We are here at 11.50 p.m. talking about Gaza but are we doing enough as a country and a people? Are we using the strong voice that we have on the international stage to say “No” and that enough is enough?

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