Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. I must again raise the issue of Gaza and the invasion of Rafah in its southern part. It fills me with so much dread it is hard to articulate at this stage. Rafah is about the size of Limerick city and is now home to more than 1.5 million people who have been displaced from their homes in northern and central Gaza by Israel's murderous invasion. People in Rafah are living and dying in tents. Many of them have fled multiple times in the last six months. Rafah has become a city of tents and precious little medical infrastructure. People are living hand to mouth trying to survive on the meagre amounts of aid Israel has allowed to enter.

Israel has now occupied the Palestinian side of the border crossing in preparation for a full-scale invasion of Rafah. It is planning to launch a brutal ground invasion of a refugee camp. This is beyond belief. There is no support anywhere for this. If Israel is allowed to carry out this invasion, it will be a massacre. It must be stopped. The time for strong rhetoric or symbolic gestures is over. Every economic and diplomatic sanction must be on the table. European Union-wide action requires unanimity. There are member states that have completely abandoned any commitment to human rights when it comes to Palestine. If Ireland acts, other countries will follow.

I also wish to say how proud I am of the Trinity College students who have dismantled their encampment after getting the university to agree to divest from and end institutional ties with Israel. The students faced down repressive fines from the college and abuse from racists on social media because they knew their cause was just. They have displayed the moral courage and commitment that have been so lacking in western governments during this ongoing genocide. They have proved that when people come together and take action for Palestine, they can achieve victories in universities, trade unions, churches, workplaces, political parties and governments. These last few months have been filled with such inhumanity and horror and what is happening is beyond belief, but the global uprising against colonialism and genocide really does give me hope. The students occupying their colleges give me hope. The workers blocking shipments of weapons at factories and ports give me hope. The Palestinians who continue to struggle for freedom, despite all they have endured, give me hope.

When Nelson Mandela died, political leaders from Europe and America sang his praises and spoke about the evils of apartheid. They neglected to mention that their countries had to be dragged kicking and screaming into boycotting apartheid by activists and the political leadership of the global south. History is repeating itself. We need to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel for its genocide in Gaza before it is too late. I would like the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, to be called into the House to give us an update on what is going on.