Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Palestinian ambassador to Ireland told a huge crowd in the Europa Hotel in Belfast a few weeks ago that the Palestinian people will rebuild Gaza out of the rubble, they will never give up and they will have a Palestinian homeland. She asked that people never stop talking about the Palestinians and Palestine. Not only have the Irish people never stopped talking about Palestine, they have never stopped marching for the besieged people of Gaza and the Palestinian people of the West Bank. They have never stopped marching for an end to the Israeli Government's genocidal campaign which has claimed the lives of more than 28,000 men, women and children. They have never stopped marching for a ceasefire. They have never stopped supporting the right of the Palestinian and Israeli people to live in peace with secure and credible borders, as neighbours, in two homelands for Palestinians and for Israelis.

Let us be in no doubt about what we are witnessing in Gaza. It is not a war of defence against Hamas. It is absurd to claim so. It is a war of offence against the civilian population of Gaza, some 2 million people. A total of 28,000 Palestinians have been killed, 68,000 Palestinians have been injured and 210 Israeli soldiers have been killed. In addition, the Israelis have destroyed homes, hospitals, schools and mosques. Israel has deprived people of food, water and electricity. The deaths and injuries and the systematic destruction of Gazan society are not, in the military parlance so loved by warmongers, "‘collateral damage". The civilian population and its infrastructure are the chosen targets. The truth is obvious and simple. It is a state-sponsored murder gang with all the amoral values you would expect.

What military prowess or bravery is involved in a genocidal campaign which kills men, women and children with casual disregard? The Israeli Government and its murderous gang has turned Gaza into a ghetto. From the air, on the ground and by sea, it preys on the defenceless population. It has used its superior military might to demonise, humiliate and strip the Palestinian people of their human rights and dignity. Yet, while this slaughter is playing out daily on our mobile phones and TV screens the EU dithers and plays political games with the lives of the people of Palestine. It had no difficulty spending long hours speaking about the need to support Ukraine, and rightly so, but why does Gaza warrant so little of the EU's serious time? The EU has failed to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Why so? It is outrageous that the EU has failed this basic humanitarian test with respect to the people of Gaza.

The Irish Government should take the lead and set the example for the rest of the EU in the way that South Africa has shown the world with its case against Israel in the International Court of Justice for crimes of genocide. The Government has taken very welcome initiatives. It has shown the lead in calling for a ceasefire, the first country in Europe to do so. It has shown the lead in giving UNRWA an extra €20 million for its relief work for 6 million Palestinians at a time when other states withdrew their aid due to unfounded claims by the Israeli Government. I call on those states to reverse their decision and continue to fund UNRWA. It is a lifeline for Palestinians.

The Government has shown the lead in the joint letter from the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, sent to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, asking the EU to assess whether Israel is violating the provisions of its trade deal with the EU. I agree with the comments of the Taoiseach that the Israelis look as if they are involved in revenge and not defence. I also agree with the comments of the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, that Israel is behaving like a rogue state. Taken in the round, it is clear that the Irish Government has the potential to go beyond where it currently is and I believe that in the face of the slaughter in Gaza, it should go beyond where we are and what we are seeing from it. It should recognise the state of Palestine. It should enact the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill and the occupied territories Bill. It should join South Africa with its case at the ICJ. It should expel the Israeli ambassador. It should use its influence in Washington this St. Patrick's Day to be a voice for the Palestinian people.

It is well past the time for European states, Britain and the US to stop arming Israel's genocide. It is time for the Arab nations, the US and the EU to impose their political will on the Israeli Government and set about a creating the conditions not only for a permanent ceasefire but for a negotiated settlement which will allow the Palestinian people to rebuild their shattered lives and society and live in a Palestinian homeland, as described by the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland last week in Belfast.