Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)

Last week, I joined an incredibly moving event on Kildare Street. It was organised by Grannies for Palestine. Its members unveiled a patchwork crochet banner that stretched the length of Kildare Street across the front of Leinster House. Devastatingly, each square in the banner was crafted to represent ten Gazan children who have been killed since Hamas's barbaric attack in October 2023. That means approximately 30 children have been killed every day in the nearly 650 days since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza. Even since last week, we have seen horrific scenes. Six children were killed by an Israeli air strike while collecting water in Gaza this week. Even the Israel Defense Forces stated that this was an error.

The protest group who were on Kildare Street last week had a clear ask of the Government. It asked it to pass the occupied territories Bill in full. That is what I want to raise with the Taoiseach today in the final sitting week before the recess. Gazan civil defence reports that more than 58,000 people in total have now been killed by Israel in Gaza. Those men, women, journalists, medics, aid workers and children are dead at the hands of Netanyahu's brutal regime, which is now facing criticism even from its own former leaders in Israel. The latter have described plans to resettle Gaza as akin to "a concentration camp". The gravity of a former Israeli Prime Minister using that language will be wasted on no one in this House. Who will say "Stop" and take action to force a stop to the genocide?

We all want to hear from the Taoiseach a commitment that he will without delay facilitate the passage of the occupied territories Bill to ban trade in goods and services.

We are prepared to sit over the summer, if needs be, to get that done.

I have welcomed, as my Labour colleagues have, the positive steps the Taoiseach's Government has taken, and we acknowledge those, including support for the UN resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza and, crucially, recognition by Ireland of the State of Palestine. We welcome that, just as we welcomed last month's action by the Tánaiste, who was one of eight foreign ministers to write to the European Commission calling for a ban on all trade with Israeli settlements - in goods and services. It seems the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste recognise their obligation to ban such trade in services under EU and international law following the ICJ advisory opinion. In a recent meeting of the foreign affairs committee, the Department of foreign affairs also accepted that limiting a ban to trade on goods would leave the Government just partially compliant with international law. Under EU law, we know there is scope for member states to act unilaterally. Israel's war crimes create a clear and pressing obligation to end all trade in goods and services, just as Senator Frances Black's original Bill sought to do.

Before the summer recess, will the Taoiseach give a commitment that the occupied territories Bill will cover goods and services? Will he ensure that Ireland continues to be at the fore in pushing for a stronger stance from the EU to stop the genocide in Gaza?

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