Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)

I second the amendment. Every day that action is delayed more lives are lost in Gaza. More than 50,000 people - mostly women and children - have been killed. This is not a war; this is a slaughter. The deliberate campaign of destruction is playing out before the eyes of the world.We in this House have expressed solidarity many times with the Palestinian people. The Irish public have marched in their thousands demanding real and meaningful action, yet we hear credible allegations that weapons destined for Israel pass through Irish airspace. If this is true, it is unconscionable. We cannot condemn a massacre of civilians while quietly facilitating the flow of arms that enable it.

People in Gaza are not only being bombed, but starved. Children are dying from hunger and dehydration. Food and aid are being blocked. International humanitarian workers are being targeted. This is collective punishment on a horrifying scale, a war crime happening in real time. That is why we must act and not just speak. We must urgently implement the occupied territories Bill. That legislation is clear - Ireland will not trade in goods from illegal settlements built on stolen lands, settlements that entrench apartheid, drive displacement and fuel this ongoing violence.

We cannot allow our principles to be parked in the name of diplomacy or convenience. The occupied territories Bill has cross-party support and it reflects the will of the Irish people. History will remember those who stand up and those who stood by. It is time for Ireland to stand up with action and not just words.