Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I send thoughts and solidarity to the people of Rafah. The images that are coming out of the place at the moment are beyond horrific. The decision by the Irish, Spanish and Norwegian Governments to recognise the State of Palestine was the first ray of hope for the people of Palestine, Israel and the rest of the world who seek a long-lasting peace and just outcome to the horrific nine-month-old war. As I was coming in here, I heard the terrifying news that Israel says it plans to continue this for another seven months. The recognition of Palestine is a highly significant decision and it should become the basis of a new EU independent foreign policy which is tied to the rights and needs of the Palestinian and Israeli people instead of the current policy, which is tied to the political interests of the US and the extremists in the Israeli Government.

Recognising the State of Palestine is the first essential step to the achievement of a durable peace and the two-state solution. Peace and the two-state solution are interdependent. You cannot have one without the other. It is the only viable and credible option. Peace and the two-state solution provide security and international recognition to Palestine and Israel on the basis of equality and mutual respect, the determining factor being people's inalienable right to a homeland. At that point the equation changes from who has the strongest military hardware to democratic principles and a peaceful pathway to a new future. Peace and the two-state solution will create an opportunity for a new beginning for the peoples of Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East. Both Palestinians and Israelis are entitled to a future that is free from wars or armed actions, which has been a way of life for them since 1948, when the Israeli state was imposed on the Palestinian people by violence. It has been maintained by violence ever since.

Following the decision by the Irish, Spanish and Norwegian Governments to recognise the State of Palestine, other equally important decisions have been made. The International Court of Justice called on the Israeli Government to end its genocidal war against the Palestinian people. In a separate judgement, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders, and the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar for war crimes and crimes against humanity. These actions are isolating Israel from the democratic world with the exception of the US. That pressure must be maintained and increased. It is up to other states to act. The International Court of Justice has ordered states to take provisional measures to prevent acts being committed in contravention of Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide against the people of Gaza. Enacting this Bill, which the Civil Engagement Group has brought forward, would be fulfilling our legal obligation under the Genocide Convention, add to the pressure on Israel to end its genocidal war against the Palestinians and further isolate it. The isolation of Israel needs to continue until the Israeli Government ends its war. We need to slow down the ability of its war machine to slaughter the people of Gaza.

Sinn Féin supports this Bill and commends the Civil Engagement Group on bringing it forward. We support its immediate enactment. It is indefensible that the Government would slap a six-month pause on this Bill. As I said, just today, Benjamin Netanyahu said he has every intention of continuing this for a minimum of another seven months.

The Bill will not interfere with legitimate missions by the militaries needing to use Irish airspace while bearing arms. Our own Defence Forces may need to transit through other states when en route to UN peacekeeping missions, for example, but this Bill does not interfere with that. This Bill is really timely. Sinn Féin would like to see the inclusion of inspections of aircraft and have long called for that with regard to the use of Shannon by the US military. This Bill should be enacted today as it is but in the future, we should look to expand it beyond Israel to potentially include any state answering a case under the Genocide Convention or under investigation by the International Criminal Court. As a point of policy and principle, the Bill should be expanded to include a prohibition on dual use items which originate in and are not simply transiting Ireland.

The EU has particularly failed to adequately respond to the humanitarian catastrophe, to hold Israel to account or take meaningful action against Israel. At the very least, it should stop blocking a review into Israel's compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israeli Association Agreement. Following the decision by the Irish Government to recognise the State of Palestine, it should enact the Illegal Israeli settlements Divestment Bill and the occupied territories Bill. The Irish Government and the international community must deploy every diplomatic, economic and political measure at its disposal to force the Israeli Government to end its genocidal war in Gaza and its attack on Rafah. As we have been calling for for so long, we need an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages on both sides. The desperately needed humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow.That includes energy for the means to use that humanitarian aid.