Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)

Some 66,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's bloody war on the people of Gaza. Dozens of men, women and children are being killed on a daily basis. Hospitals, schools, refugee centres and churches are being bombed by the IDF. Bombs are literally atomising families in tents. We have never before seen this number of journalists, doctors, nurses and UN staff being killed in large numbers by the IDF.

Food is being denied to the whole nation as a tool of war in order to starve the people of Gaza, which is unbelievable. Gaza is being systematically levelled. The IDF is unconstrained in its bloody retribution by any humanitarian consideration. Netanyahu's bloody war has been allowed to happen as a result of the US and many countries in the EU doing as little as possible. The truth of the matter is that western countries have underwritten this action. Many western countries have offered a blank cheque to the IDF to continue this war, and that is something that is a stain on the international community and the rule of law, which will haunt the west for many years.

It is important that we in Ireland take a strong stance on this. I have been asked many times why this matters to Irish people. It matters because Irish people see themselves in the eyes of Palestinians. Irish people have gone through occupation for many centuries at the hands of a far more powerful neighbour and have suffered enormous violence associated with that occupation. We have suffered a strategic famine that was levelled on the country in an effort to reduce the population.

It is incredible that Ireland is one of the few countries in the world whose population is still out of its normal growth trend because of that famine. We see ourselves very clearly reflected in the eyes of the Palestinian people. Midway through this conflict I was looking at the screen and like many people I could not understand why western countries were not dropping food into Palestine. I cannot think of another location on the planet where such violence and starvation would exist where the West would not have taken the step to airdrop food into a location to make sure people survived. It did not happen, though. It is incredible that it has taken a flotilla of citizens, a group of volunteers, to do the job the international community would not do. This flotilla is embarrassing the international community for its inaction. Incredibly, that flotilla has come under drone attack. It is a really serious international incident that has not been pushed back on to the level it should have been. There have been a few shards of light in this horrendous crisis. The flotilla is a significant one, and the recognition of the State of Palestine by other western countries is another one of those few positives that have happened recently.

The Government has been stronger than the EU on this issue, but it has been weaker than the Irish people on this issue too. I urge the Government as well to make sure it sends some form of observation in relation to this flotilla. Aontú wants to see the occupied territories Bill implemented as soon as possible and the Government take a harder stance with the US and the EU on this issue.

Not only is Gaza being levelled but Israel is destabilising its own future. This is the truth of the matter. It is creating an enormous crisis. There is no doubt that atomising children in a tent will not lead to peace. It will lead to the radicalisation of people against Israel. We know that in this country: "...the fools, the fools. They have left us our Fenian dead ...". We know the fact of the matter is that by killing people, peace is not created; a response in return is actually created. The criminal government of Netanyahu is destroying the opportunity for a two-state solution and a peaceful outcome in that region.

See this speech in context