Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend Amnesty International on the publication of this report and the immense amount of work that went into researching it, backing up its findings and recommendations, and bringing to the fore an extremely serious situation in the occupied territories and in Israel. The authors of the report understood the gravity of the wording they were using. I do not believe they put pen to paper without thinking long and hard about the implications of the wording used. Given the meaning and the definition of apartheid and based on the evidence presented by the report, it is difficult to disagree with its findings. We need to acknowledge what is happening on the ground in the occupied territories and what Israel is inflicting on the Palestinian people.

The report states:

Israel has pursued an explicit policy of establishing and maintaining a Jewish demographic hegemony and maximizing its control over land to benefit Jewish Israelis while minimizing the number of Palestinians and restricting their rights and obstructing their ability to challenge this dispossession.

We need to respond strongly to those words and the content of the report. What we are discussing here is a clear and consistent breach of international law and a consistent breach of the human rights of Palestinians.

The report states that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians and it raises serious issues. My colleagues and I requested the Leader to schedule this debate because we wanted an opportunity to acknowledge the work of this report and put our views on the record.

The Irish Government's foreign affairs policy is to pursue a two-state solution, which I believe ultimately will be the best outcome and something we should pursue. However, we must acknowledge that is not currently possible because of what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people. It is very difficult to see how we would achieve a two-state solution in any sort of meaningful timeframe.

Evictions of Palestinian people continue to take place with their homes being demolished. There is deliberate and consistent discrimination at all levels against the Palestinian people in clear breach of international law and yet very little action has been taken. I acknowledge that these are not the actions of every Israeli. Many people in Israel are not supportive of the actions taking place.My colleague, Senator Joe O'Reilly, put it very well when he said this is not about pitting one people against another but about upholding values we in this House all hold dear. Those values are human rights and their protection, the protection of human life, the upholding of international law, and the idea that we should all be held accountable to the same international law by which we all wish to abide.

It is important to point out that Ireland has consistently used its position where it can at EU level and UN Security Council level to advocate peace, to support the Middle East peace process and to advocate a two-state solution. This is Ireland using its mandate and doing what it can to try to assist in the situation. It is important, however, to call this what it is and to acknowledge the actions consistently taking place and not to airbrush, minimise or sugar-coat them in any way. As I said, I believe the author of this report, Amnesty International, was very considered in what it put on paper and would have known very well the implications the report would have. Those implications have been very wide-reaching.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with the Palestinian ambassador. We had a very long and detailed conversation. I know this report is important to the Palestinian people and to the ambassador's office. It is important a platform is given to the report and that we have this discussion. I will wait to hear the Minister of State's response to the issues raised by Members, but I am sure he will find that equally strong views will be expressed across the Chamber by all parties and none as to what the report contains. It is important that we, as a House, stand in collective support of the Palestinian people, that they should be treated with dignity and respect and that international law should be respected. Clearly, that is not happening. I know it is the position of the Irish Government to call for a cessation of all evictions, demolitions and the consistent discrimination, but we have been calling for that for some time, as have many other countries around the world, and we are yet to see any action taken to respond to those calls.

While we continue to play our role internationally, engaging with the Middle East peace process, while we will continue to use our mandate at EU level and UN Security Council level and while we will continue to call for a cessation of those activities that we know blatantly breach and contravene international law, does Deputy Brophy, as Minister of State, or the Government intend to take any further action, particularly on foot of this report and its findings and the clear evidence and facts presented in it, which are not open to interpretation and which cannot be disputed? We are yet to hear a response to what has been presented in the report. We have been given lots of general responses to the overarching issues and information on the work the Government has done to date, but I am yet to hear a very clear and detailed response to the issues raised in the report, which is why we are discussing it on the floor of the House.

I commend Amnesty International and its branch here in Ireland on their work on this report and on their continued engagement with Members of this House and the other House in trying to advance international law, the upholding of same, and the interests of those in vulnerable groups who may be discriminated against.