Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)

What is happening in Gaza is not a natural disaster, it is a man-made catastrophe. Entire families are buried under rubble, hospitals have been turned into graveyards, and children are starving not because food does not exist, but because it is deliberately withheld. Yet some so-called guardians of international law stand idle. They issue statements dripping with empty concern while continuing to arm and fund the very machinery of the Palestinian people's destruction. For too long the international community has chosen paralysis or, worse, complicity. They speak of restraint as though one of the most powerful militaries on earth and a besieged population of refugees are equal. They speak of both sides, when one side is caged, starved and bombed without pause. While they do nothing, ordinary people put themselves on the line to say Gaza will not be erased. They, in turn, often face the rigours of justice systems that are not just blind but also deaf and dumb to the humanitarian disaster that is Gaza and the barbaric action that is Israel. The Global Sumud Flotilla is sailing with nothing more than determination, humanitarian aid and the fundamental principle that human beings deserve to live free. For them, the next 24 hours are crucial, and our thoughts are with each and every one of them. Let us be very clear: solidarity ships should not be necessary, and international law should not be optional. In my opinion, the blood of Palestinians stains every capital of every country that has chosen silence and complicity over justice. The people of Palestine need more than outrage; they need us to be relentless in our pressure, to boycott and to protest. They need us to ensure what is delivered in terms of a peace plan is long-term and sustainable and results in a Palestinian State. History is watching and it will remember who stood with the oppressed and who enabled their very destruction.

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