George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)

This is a moral test for us. In many respects, it echoes our own history. The occupied territories Bill has sat idle for about eight years now and in that time the situation in Palestine has spiralled into catastrophe. Over 67,000 lives have been lost in Gaza in recent years, with hundreds of thousands of illegal settlers entrenched in the West Bank. It is not a distant tragedy or anything like it. It is genocide unfolding before our eyes on a day-to-day basis. We know all about the fight against colonialism, yet as a parliament and as a nation, we hesitate. How much longer will we stand by and hesitate?

The occupied territories Bill is clear. It bans trade with illegal settlements. Goods and services produced on stolen lands should never enter Irish markets because that type of trade sustains the injustice that is happening daily in Palestine. Every euro spent on settlements goods helps to entrench an occupation that has been condemned by the International Court of Justice. The ICJ ruling in July 2024 was unequivocal. It stated that an end must be brought to all economic dealings that maintain this unlawful situation. Do we respect international law or do we ignore it when it is inconvenient? We have walked this road before. In the 1980s, we were the first western country, as has already been stated, to ban imports from apartheid South Africa. We did it because we believed no Irish hand should profit from oppression. That decision inspired others and helped to dismantle a system of racial tyranny. Today, we face that same question. Will we act now as we did then or will we betray our own history of courage? Apartheid in South Africa was propped up by trade and investment. So, too, is the occupation of Palestine. When Ireland cut ties with apartheid goods, we sent a message that resonated across the globe: injustice will not be rewarded. Why should this be any different? Why should Ireland shirk away from the very principles that once made us very proud to be Irish?

Our solidarity with Palestine is not an abstract thing; it is rooted in our shared experience. We know what it means to live under foreign rule and to see land confiscated, culture suppressed and communities shattered. From the centuries of British domination to the Famine that killed over 1 million of our people, oppression is etched in our national memory. We remember the Black and Tans terrorising our towns and we know that the same forces later exported their brutality to Palestine under the British mandate. The same empire that partitioned our island also partitioned theirs. How can we, of all people, of all nations, turn away from a people enduring what we once endured? Arthur Balfour, who signed the infamous declaration that paved the way for Palestinian dispossession, was the same man, as Chief Secretary for Ireland, who crushed Irish nationalism.

Our histories are intertwined. When we look at Gaza and the West Bank, we see echoes of our own struggle for freedom. If we do not act, who will? When Nelson Mandela visited Ireland after his release, he praised the courage of ordinary Irish workers who stood against apartheid during the Dunnes Stores strike. He said their actions demonstrated to South Africans that ordinary people far away from the crucible of apartheid cared about their freedom. He said the solidarity of Irish workers helped him to endure prison. Ireland's stand mattered then and it matters now. Will we honour that legacy or let it fade into history?

Some say this Bill is symbolic. Yes, it is symbolic but symbols matter. They ignite change. Do we want to be leaders or do we want to be laggards? The public has spoken, with 74% of Irish people supporting the Bill. Civil society, churches, trade unions and human rights groups have called for its enactment. Demonstrations outside this building almost daily demand action. Yet, the Government delays, waters down and hides behind legal smokescreens, even after EU law experts confirmed Ireland can pass the Bill without breaching EU rules. To whom are we listening? Are we listening to the Irish people or to foreign lobbyists?

History is watching us. Future generations will ask what Ireland did when genocide unfolded in Gaza and illegal settlements spread across the West Bank. Did we speak or did we act? We absolutely should pass the occupied territories Bill in full, with application to goods and services, before Christmas. There must be no more delays or excuses. Ireland must lead as it did previously and show the world that our principles are not for sale. Let us be the nation that stands for justice. Let us be the people who say Ireland will not profit from occupation, we will not be complicit in apartheid and we will act now.

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