Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The brutality and savagery of the Israeli army has once again been laid bare for the world to see. The Israeli army fired live ammunition indiscriminately and it gassed protestors. The Government must give a strong and unambiguous statement that there can be no impunity for Israel's mass killing and murder of Palestinian citizens, and its continued illegal occupation of Palestine.

The Minister of State has said that Ireland will not move to expel the Israeli ambassador in protest at these killings or recall the Irish ambassador in Tel Aviv. Nothing will change in Gaza or the West Bank until the international community moves on from empty rhetoric and puts some real pressure on Israel. Ireland must stop sitting on the sidelines wringing its hands when real, concrete, tangible steps are proposed. The Government is afraid to show leadership. Last January Sinn Féin supported Senator Frances Black's Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 in this House. This Bill proposes to end Irish economic support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank that we have long condemned as illegal. The Government, however, refuses to take any real action on the settlements. These are defined as war crimes under international law. We listened in disbelief to the Israeli ambassador on the RTÉ "Six One News". He stated that Israel was doing its best to minimise its fire and there was no link to the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem. More than 100 Palestinians are now dead and more than 13,000 have been injured, and this is with Israel limiting its firepower. We must be clear that it was not clashes but, rather, a massacre. I was sick to my stomach while watching the television footage. I know that many Irish people share my horror. Why did the Taoiseach again state in the Dáil last week that Ireland cannot recognise Palestine because it does not exist yet? Perhaps the Taoiseach could have a chat with his Swedish counterpart. Sweden recognised the state of Palestine four years ago. Perhaps the Taoiseach could visit the UN and chat with the leaders of 135 other countries that recognise Palestine. More than 70% of the countries that are members of the UN recognise the state of Palestine. Motions were passed unanimously in this House and in Dáil Éireann in recent years to recognise the state of Palestine.

If Ireland will not expel the Israeli ambassador, will not recognise the state of Palestine and will not support legislation that asks us to ban commerce with people who are involved in war crimes, then where are we? Ireland took a stand in the days of South Africa's apartheid system. Our women workers took a stand in Dunne's Stores. In our Government, where are the women of Dunne's Stores today?