Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Coveney. On 27 March, the Government took the decision to expel a Russian diplomat in what could only be described as an act of sycophantic fawning over its British counterpart. The Government asked us to trust British intelligence, the very same intelligence agencies that provided us with false information regarding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, the same service that refuses to this day to release information on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Three days after the Government took that decision, 750 innocent Palestinian protesters were wounded by Israeli soldiers at a peaceful planned march in Gaza and 15 civilians were murdered that day. Over the two weeks which followed, the death toll reached 31 civilians, with more than 1,000 injured. Not one Israeli diplomat has been expelled. This was a predetermined, careful attack, which included sniper gunfire, drones, artillery and tear gas attacks on peaceful protesters. One of those innocent Palestinians was a journalist and since his murder, a video has been leaked to the press revealing Israeli soldiers cheering and celebrating as they used Palestinian protesters as sniper practice. Has the Minister seen the video? It is truly grotesque.

On 28 March I received a letter which highlighted the regular arrest and detention of Palestinian political representatives, concentrating lately on the Palestinian Legislative Council, PLC. Right now, 12 members of the PLC are being held in Israeli prisons, nine under internment without trial. Not content with arresting Palestinian parliamentarians, the Israeli Government also wanted to prevent the Lord Mayor of Dublin from entering occupied Palestine. Did the Minister consider summoning the Israeli ambassador to explain the hostility to the elected Lord Mayor? As he knows, Israel operates an apartheid state in occupied Palestine, where it is illegal for Palestinians to be a member of any political party. It is fine for Israeli citizens to be members of political parties and they have access to civilian courts but this is illegal for Palestinians, who are dealt with by military courts. I am sure the Minister already knows this; that is how apartheid works.

On 28 March I received a letter which highlighted the regular arrest and detention of Palestinian political representatives, concentrating lately on the Palestinian Legislative Council, PLC. Right now, there are 12 members of the PLC held in Israeli prisons, nine under internment without trial. Not content with arresting Palestinian parliamentarians, the Israeli Government also wanted to prevent the Lord Mayor of Dublin from entering occupied Palestine. Did the Minister consider summoning the Israeli ambassador to explain their hostility to our elected Lord Mayor? As he knows, Israel operates an apartheid state in occupied Palestine, where it is illegal for Palestinians to be a member of any political party. it is fine for Israeli citizens to be members of political parties and they have access to civilian courts, but it is illegal for Palestinians, who are dealt with by military courts. I am sure the Minister already knows this; that is how apartheid works.This is why 400 Palestinian children are languishing in Israeli jails right now. It is why Israel is in contravention of its commitments under the fourth Geneva convention, the international covenant on civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights covenants, the UN convention on the rights of the child, the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the convention against torture and the convention for the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination. Unlike Russia, we have proof of Israel's crimes. The proof is the dead bodies being buried each week in Gaza, the leaked online videos of unarmed protesters being shot while they pray, the children in prison who were sentenced to ten years for throwing stones and the political representatives incarcerated in Israeli jails for simply representing the Palestinian people. Is it not time that our Government really stood up for human rights and not just with words? Is it not beyond time the Minister personally took a stand against apartheid and expelled the Israeli ambassador? I do not know what more evidence the Minister needs to take decisive action to expel the Israeli ambassador. His track record on Russia suggests he does not need any evidence, just a nod and wink from Boris Johnson.