Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)

The saying goes "The axe forgets; the tree remembers". We are a colonised people. We understand the hardship, the suffering, the genocide, the starvation and the cruelty of occupying forces. Greta Thunberg said recently: "I’m not scared of Israel. I’m scared of a world that has seemingly lost all sense of humanity ...". What an unbelievable young woman that she and others have to lead the way while the world watches genocide takes place. She could have been speaking directly to the Minister of State and the Government. In a cynical move last year, like many other cynical moves they made before the election, its members committed to the occupied territories Bill. They said they would enact it. Now we have a Taoiseach who is saying it is not implementable. Shame on the Government. Its members gave their word to the people of Ireland, but even more importantly to the people of Palestine, Gaza and the West Bank, that we would lead the way in enacting the occupied territories Bill and that we would say to the world and to Israel in particular we will not stand idly by and we will do everything we can as a Government, a people and a nation to highlight the genocide that is going on.

Some 70,000 have been killed in Gaza by the Israelis. In the West Bank there have 260 settler attacks on homes, farms and people in the past month. It is the highest number ever recorded because the Israelis feel they can get away with anything. Since January, 44 children have been killed by the Israelis in the West Bank. A young lad named Mohammed got one of the blue schoolbags from UNICEF and was probably delighted. He was out playing with his friends and he was shot. The bullet passed from hip to hip, so he had no chance. He was running to his grandmother’s for safety. This Bill will not stop that, but for Mohammed and all his friends, it will send a message that we will not stand idly by and we will be the voice for the Palestinian people when the world will not be.

See this speech in context