Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)

I thank People Before Profit for bringing forward this motion. We in the Social Democrats are very proud to co-sign it. I thank the many parliamentarians since 2018 who have worked on this legislation, particularly Senator Black. I also thank the people in the Gallery - the activists who continue, on a daily basis across this country, to campaign in solidarity with the people of Palestine. The weekly vigil in Monkstown at 6 p.m. on a Sunday is a thing of beauty and has been running for almost two years. The Rathdown for Palestine group waves flags at passing traffic at 5 p.m. every Thursday. There is huge momentum and a huge sense of solidarity in this country. Yet, the Government chooses to ignore that and to continue on its path of inaction.

I will reiterate the simple and succinct asks set out in the motion. They are to pass the occupied territories Bill, include services and do it all by the end of this year. On 19 November 2025, nearly a year into my role as a TD, I cannot believe I must articulate the need to fulfil those commitments. Both Government parties were clear on their absolute and unwavering commitment to act and their recognition of the sentiment of our people that this must be done. Yet, the Government has continued to prevaricate, to step into circular arguments about the Bill being symbolic and that it will make no difference and to point to people over there doing things one way and say we cannot do anything different. It is a simple enforcement of international law to pass the occupied territories Bill and prevent the State from trading with a state that is occupying another. These are the simple facts and I am trying to use simple language to move us away from the circular arguments and verbal dances the Government has created.

Its two main arguments do not stack up. The Government says the Bill is impossible to implement or it is unsure how to implement it. In fact, we did the same thing more than ten years ago with Russia. We imposed the exact same types of sanctions, on both goods and services, on another state. We can do the same again. Indeed, it is even easier now because the EU-Israel Association Agreement means we must, by law, differentiate between goods and services from Israel and goods and services from the occupied territories. The Government's other argument is that there is a legal impediment. We have heard that argument shattered again and again today. We have already seen the legal advice that supports the inclusion of services. The Government has simply chosen to recreate legal opinions to support its political decision not to include services.

The Government's lack of action is a betrayal of the trust the Irish people placed in it. We are a people who have a clear solidarity with the Palestinian cause that goes back decades and is unique across Europe and the globe. It gave us the opportunity to be the first to impose these sanctions and the first to take a case against Israel. Yet, we have wasted every opportunity to act on the mandate given to us by the Irish people. The Government's lack of action is a threat to global order. War crimes going unpunished will dismantle the decades of work people around the globe have done to maintain peace in our world. It threatens multilateralism and the rule of law. We need only look to the comparison with Russia to see this is the case.

Above all, the lack of action is failing the people of Palestine who have endured the most horrific genocide and who continue to endure in the occupied territories brutal settlement practices by the Israeli Government. I add my condemnation of the Minister, on her first day in office, for failing to be here for this debate on what she says is her biggest priority.

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