David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I listened in horror to the debate between Senator Black and former Deputy Shatter, an old school pal of mine and a chum, but his language was appalling and grotesquely intemperate. He talked about the Bill and the debate on it as being full of hatred, rage and racism, which is absolute rubbish.

I now move to the matter in hand. I presume it has already been rehearsed that various legal authorities have attested to the appropriateness of the Bill, including Mr. Michael Lynn, Professor James Crawford and our own Senator McDowell who is a former Minister for Justice and Equality and Attorney General. It has been added to by a renowned authority, Professor Takis Tridimas. I will put all of that to one side, but what I cannot put to one side is the evidence from Israel and, in particular, within the Jewish Israeli community. I have in my hand a letter from ambassador Ilan Baruch who says that, in his view, the legislation will help to "enhance differentiation between the State of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories" where illegal settlements are benefiting from economic relations maintained with Irish and other EU firms. He goes on to say his petition comes with a sense of urgency as further evictions and the demolition of Palestinian residential and commercial buildings in east Jerusalem are taking place. Palestinians are being evicted from their homes in the neighbourhood of Silwan, while settlers are moving in. At the same time, the Israeli Government authorised the construction of 800 new housing units for Israelis in occupied east Jerusalem. With that in mind, he believes the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 can play a pivotal role in upholding international law and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334. He also says it will contribute to the creation of the necessary conditions on the ground for a just and lasting peaceful resolution of the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

I have strongly supported the state of Israel for many years. I could paper my library walls with the names of trees planted in my name by the people of Israel because of the work I had done for them. However, I reserve the right to strongly criticise them when they act in gross violation of human rights. I say to the Minister of State and through him the Minister that in a former Government Ruairí Quinn was given advice by the then Attorney General, Mr. Peter Sutherland, that a proposed action was against EU law, but he defied that advice. He had the courage to defy it. I call on the Government to defy the same defective advice being given by the Attorney General.