Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Others have mentioned that today is International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and I want to say a few words on this. There will be a vigil outside the GPO at 7 p.m. with the Palestinian ambassador. It would be great to see a large turnout at that because it is important to show solidarity with the Palestinian people.

We rarely hear the figures of those who have died in the occupied territories. Since 1 January 2008, nearly 15 years ago, some 6,129 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied territories of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including 1,389 children. Three lives were lost as of this morning. It appears we are somewhat immune to the deaths given hardly a day goes by that a Palestinian is not killed.There is also, and it is right to call it out, a hierarchy in death for the Palestinian people, whereby the world repeatedly tends to look away. There was a prime example of this in one of our broadsheet newspapers last week. A 555-word article that was about, rightly, the tragic killing of an Israeli teenager in Jerusalem ended with the sentence "Elsewhere in the West Bank, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli army gunfire on Tuesday night in clashes in Nablus". There are always "clashes" when a Palestinian child is killed. Palestinians deserve to be treated equally through their lives, and that extends to their deaths as well.

To end, I remember especially the Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was brutally killed by the Israeli army in May while reporting and doing her job as a journalist from the occupied West Bank. There are strong reports she was targeted by the Israeli army. She was only 51 years of age. We cannot forget Israel's first reaction after her death, namely, the heavy-handed raid of her home and the confiscating of Palestinian flags. The Israeli authorities then refused to conduct a criminal investigation by saying there was no suspicion a criminal act had been committed. Those of us in Ireland should recognise that reaction. Again I ask Members to show solidarity to the Palestinian people and if they can, to be outside the GPO at 7 p.m.