Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I will begin by asking the Minister of State to withdraw that disgraceful paragraph in his speech which makes reference to "some" of the protesters being non-violent, to Molotov cocktails and to members of Hamas being shot. There is no evidence for any of that. I do not know who wrote that script but the Minister of State must be honest enough to acknowledge that it is not true and to withdraw it.

As the Minister of State knows, 62 Palestinians were slaughtered a week ago and over 13,000 have been maimed in the last seven weeks. Since 2000 Israel has murdered 9,000 Palestinians, including 2,060 children. The Minister of State must acknowledge what most of us already know, namely, that Israel is an apartheid state. This Government has never done that. In the past when we have highlighted this, the Government has described our position as "one sided". In fairness, the Government is right. If one is against apartheid, as we in Sinn Féin are, then one must stand against and not just pose as some neutral arbiter.

We know Israel is an apartheid state but let me make it clear why that is the case. The United Nations defines apartheid as, "an institutionalised regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group". As Senator Lawlor said, in what was a fine speech, that is exactly what is happening and the Minister of State knows this.Under Israel's immigration policy, it is possible for all Jews to emigrate to Israel but Palestinians are refused any right of return. There are 5 million Palestinian refugees as a direct result of a religious and ethnically-based immigration policy. Contrast the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes with the ever-expanding settlements for Israeli citizens, numbering over 600,000 at this stage.

Then there is the economic apartheid whereby more than 20,000 Palestinians work in the Israeli settlements while the systematic destruction of Palestinian infrastructure and resources continues unabated. This destruction includes the uprooting and burning of millions of Palestinian olive trees. We have seen the theft of water and land and the cutting off of electricity, telephone, water and Internet services as collective punishment.There is no freedom of movement for Palestinians. We have seen checkpoints and military bases, daily harassment and discrimination. Separate judicial systems operate with civil systems for Israelis and military courts for Palestinians. There are separate road systems. It is illegal for any Palestinian to join any political party.

The Government knows all this but still contends that the way forward is dialogue. It is not. The way forward is through sanctions, just as it was with apartheid South Africa. The way forward is to stop trading with Israel. The way forward is to stop buying arms from Israel. A total of €14.75 million has been spent by our Government since 2005. Will the Minister of State answer this question for me? Why does he believe it is okay to buy arms from an apartheid state, particularly one which boasts that its products have been battle-tested? Where does the Minister of State think they have been battle-tested?

There are so many positive things the Government could do. The Government could choose to recognise the Palestinian state but it is refusing to do so. The Minister of State could commit to an arms embargo and show us as a country leading the way on this crucial issue, but he will not. The Government could endorse boycott, divestment and sanctions, but it will not. The Government could support Frances Black's Bill to boycott Israeli goods from the occupied territories. Unfortunately, it has given no indication to date that this will happen. I call on the Minister of State to give such an indication at the least in his response. I will ask my colleague, Senator Daly, to ensure Fianna Fáil comes up to the mark one month from now. We should all stand together on this issue. The Government could expel the Israeli ambassador, but it will not. The Government could choose to expel other Israeli diplomats, like it did to the Russians without any evidence, but it will not.

We understood one thing in the 1980s but the Minister of State does not understand it today. It is not okay to do business with an apartheid state. It is actually quite shameful. The fact that the Government will not acknowledge Israel's apartheid state is unacceptable. There were apologists for apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s as well. Unfortunately, several were from the Minister of State's party. Most famously, the former Deputy Patrick Donegan lauded the tour of the Springboks team to Dublin in 1970. I had hoped things would have moved on by now, but it appears not.

The people are demanding justice for the Palestinian people. They are demanding action against the apartheid Israeli state. For every day that the Government refuses to take such action, it is letting all of us down. I have heard enough empty words and seen enough crocodile tears. I have heard enough coded statements calling for restraint from both sides. We cannot allow the slaughter of these people to become another footnote in the tragic history of the Palestinian people. The world is crying out for justice. The Minister of State should stand up and find the courage to take meaningful action. He should end the shameful arms trade with Israel, endorse sanctions and expel the ambassador.