Laura Harmon (Labour)

I thank my colleague Senator Patricia Stevenson for co-ordinating some actions by the Opposition today to highlight what is happening in Palestine and Gaza. Palestine is a mirror to humanity's soul at the moment. With every day that we do not act, the soul of our humanity is dying. We know that more than 55,000 people have been killed in Gaza. The song says, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", but the genocide is being televised. I want to be clear: resistance to barbarism comes at a cost. It is not free.We have to be brave in Ireland and we must stand up to the US. The humanity of the Irish people cannot be bought and it cannot be sold. It is not for sale. No matter what threats come at us, no matter what financial threats or tariffs come at us from the US, our humanity in Ireland can never be bought or sold. The revolution is being televised. We are being watched and history will judge us. We will be asked what we did at this time in history and what did as public representatives in this country to stand up against this genocide that is happening.

We have power in this Chamber. We have initiated actions such as Senator Francis Black's occupied territories Bill. We need a date from the Taoiseach. When will the occupied territories Bill be enacted in this country? We need to pass the arms embargo Bill as well. To look away from Palestine is to look away from our own humanity as an Irish people. We know the effects of famine in this country. We know from science that it is encoded into our very DNA. To look away from Palestine and Gaza is to look away from ourselves and our own history as a country. We must stand up. We need to use the strong links we have with the United States to make them take action on this. A total of 14,000 babies are at risk of dying in the next 48 hours if they do not get the aid and food that they need. I have a list of children who did not make their first birthday, journalists who have been murdered and healthcare workers who have been killed in Palestine. They are not just statistics; these are real people and real names. We have to do more as a country.