Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I highlight my disappointment and surprise at the Taoiseach's reply to a question from Deputy McDonald last Tuesday on the rights of the Palestinian people. With formal annexation of the West Bank now explicitly promised after 50 years of occupation, my goal has been for Ireland to take a more meaningful stance against this, to move beyond condemnation and to offer leadership.I do not want to look back in 20 years and say that we did not do everything in our power on one of the most defining human rights issues of our time and that we failed to show the moral courage and vision we showed against apartheid South Africa in the 1980s. I tabled the occupied territories Bill for this purpose. It is a peaceful, human rights-focussed measure that reflects international law and UN resolutions. It was passed in full by the House and voted for by the Dáil and foreign affairs committee. I did it on a cross-party basis and worked closely with many in Fianna Fáil, who strongly supported the Bill in both Houses and shared platforms with me at packed public meetings throughout the country.

When the previous Attorney General raised questions about EU law, I shared detailed legal opinions from some of the most eminent lawyers in the world on why we could do this. The party of now Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, was rightly undeterred. It introduced the Bill to the Dáil and committed explicitly on page 146 of its pre-election manifesto to progress it if elected. Just a few months later, it is disappointing and highly inconsistent to see the Taoiseach suggest the Bill his party tabled may breach EU law. I would like to know what has changed. EU law has not changed in the past five months. With annexation of the West Bank looming, we need leadership and commitment, not inconsistency.

As one of the few countries without the shame of a colonial past, we should be at the forefront of opposing the occupation and settlement project that underpins it. This must move beyond mere condemnation. It has not worked and soon it will be too late. Recently, I listened to the head of one of Israel's largest human rights organisations urging the international community to recognise and oppose what his State is becoming. When two peoples inhabit the same land but are subject to different laws, that is apartheid. Last month, 47 UN special rapporteurs called for urgent action, sharing that annexation would be the crystallisation of a vision of 21st-century apartheid.

In a briefing I hosted on Monday, the UN rapporteur on Palestine told Deputies and Senators that the seat we won on the Security Council was in no small part due to our principled positions regarding Palestine. We must now show this support is warranted. He urged the Government to progress the Bill. The Taoiseach rightly speaks about his party's historic support for Palestinian rights. In 1980, we became the first European country to call for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the rest of Europe soon followed. The Taoiseach's party brought the Bill to the Dáil and committed to it in its manifesto just a few months ago. He asked it if will be a game changer; I firmly believe it can. Every journey starts with a first step. Let us stick to our promises and be brave enough to take it. If the Taoiseach has an alternative plan beyond the failed status quo, I ask him to unveil it. I am sure he would get the support of the majority of the Irish people.