Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are on the brink of a full-scale war in Israel and Palestine, with Israel bombing Gaza and Hamas firing rockets. The only way to stop this horrific spiral of violence and displacement is to end Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine and its violent oppression of the Palestinian people. The Government should sanction Israel for breaching international law and committing crimes against humanity by way of passage of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018.

Human Rights Watch, one of the most respected human rights organisations in the world, and B'Tselem, another respected Israeli human rights organisations, both recently concluded that Israel is committing crimes against humanity, against the Palestinian people. The only way to stop this horrific cycle of Israel's violent displacement of Palestinians from their homes, the daily punishment of innocent families and Israel bombing Gaza is to make the economic cost of this conflict too high to bear. Ireland was at the forefront of the campaign that ended apartheid in South Africa and we can end Israeli apartheid.

Condemnation is not enough. It can be ignored. It is only when there are consequences for Israel that it will end the discrimination and oppression. Most EU states, including Ireland, are rightly calling for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities to save lives, but calls for de-escalation without any meaningful plan for what comes next is gaslighting. Western leaders can call for de-escalation, but when the fighting stops, what happens next? Everything goes back to normal, but normal just means institutionalised discrimination and apartheid, with widespread injustice across the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. Those same Western leaders will accept this return to normal and move on to the next issue, refusing to take any real action or ensure accountability.

Breaking the cycle of violence requires de-escalation, but it also requires political will and action from the international community. Let us not gaslight the many Palestinians and Israelis who want to see a just and lasting peace by calling for de-escalation today when the issue is in the news, but abdicating any responsibility tomorrow.The Palestinian people have been abandoned by the international community but Ireland can take a stand and progress the occupied territories Bill. The Government has said that it received legal advice from the Attorney General that EU trade agreements prevent Ireland from acting unilaterally on the issue. It also said Ireland could face many millions of euro in EU fines for introducing such a law. The Government’s contention that the Bill would contravene EU law has been challenged by Professor Takis Tridimas, a barrister and one of Europe’s top legal experts on EU law. Professor Tridimas wrote a legal opinion on the Bill, citing previous decisions upholding the right of a member state to unilaterally ban imports from a country. Ireland can unilaterally ban imports from the occupied territories under a provision that allows it to take decisions based on public policy. The Government’s position that we would be breaking EU law can be challenged at the European Court of Justice. We should make the case and then let the court decide. Sometimes laws are there to be changed and the dial is there to be moved. That can only be done by testing the law and that is what we should be doing here.

The Government regularly states that it and our diplomats speak up for the human rights of Palestinians at the EU and the UN Security Council. Will the Minister of State make a statement on what specific actions Ireland will now take at national, EU and UN levels in response to the extensive human rights violations and military assaults on civilian targets being conducted by the Israeli Government? Does the Minister of State accept that statements of condemnation have not been and are not sufficient? Does he acknowledge that a response based on international human rights must demonstrate seriousness about those human rights by following through with appropriate diplomatic and economic action, and what such actions will Ireland take and advocate for others to take?

Virtually every other tactic has been tried for decades to stop Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people. The occupied territories Bill may be the first step in bringing freedom to Palestine and peace to the region.