Ann Graves (Dublin Fingal East, Sinn Fein)

Israel's genocide in Gaza is happening in real time. We see it on our news feeds on our phones. It is beyond doubt. Since October 2023, 69,500 people, the majority of them children, have been murdered by Israel. A further 217 journalists and media workers, 120 academics and 224 humanitarian workers have been killed by Israel. This is the list of crimes against humanity carried out with precision by Israel, but it did not start in October 2023. This has been done with the support of Washington and Brussels. Israel must be held to account for its actions. The recent ceasefire, while welcome, has only slowed down the genocide. Israel continues to wage a war on Palestine with its restrictions on aid, man-made famine in Gaza and the ongoing murderous settler violence in the West Bank.

Here, the people have marched in their tens of thousands demanding justice and peace for Palestine. We know only too well about colonisation, division and conflict. We also understand how important international solidarity is to a people in struggle. By enacting the occupied territories Bill, the Government can send a loud and clear message of solidarity on behalf of the people. This Bill is the minimum that should be imposed on the apartheid Israeli state. It will only affect goods and services coming from the occupied territories. The effect of the occupied territories Bill will not only solely focus on Israel, but would also affect occupiers the world over. It would send an important message to the Moroccan Government that we will not stand idly by and allow it to illegally occupy Western Sahara, which is Africa’s last colony. This occupation continues despite the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Morocco has no right to occupy Western Sahara. It must immediately withdraw and allow the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic to determine its own future.

Both Italy and Slovenia are on the verge of enacting legislation similar to our occupied territories Bill. History will judge this Government, not on its words but on its actions. It must take strong and decisive action against Israel’s genocide and ongoing occupation of Palestine.

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