Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)

I welcome this motion. There is nothing in it that I disagree with. I welcome and want to see the amended version of the motion passed here today. It needs to be much stronger than it is. While I welcome that Fianna Fáil is bringing forward this motion at this late stage, part of me is cynical and wondering if this is an effort to counteract its presidential candidate Jim Gavin's disgraceful remarks last week when he said it was "unconscionable" that the bombing is still taking place and that he believed the Israeli army’s “military objectives have probably been reached” with that military campaign. What world is he living in? Israel has not been engaging in a military campaign since 7 October, and by the way 7 October is not something that happened in a vacuum; this has been going on for over 77 years. Israel has actually attacked Gaza indiscriminately. More than 66,000 Palestinian people are dead, most of them in Gaza, and 20,000 of them are children. Journalists, academics, medics, and humanitarian workers have been killed. It has been indiscriminate and nothing has happened. People have been shot in the head, children included, buildings are collapsed on people, there are shrapnel injuries, and they do not have the medical capacity to deal with these injuries in their hospitals. They are short of aid and they are short on food. Israel is being emboldened all of the time. It has been emboldened in particular by the support of the USA, and not just from Trump, although that has made it worse. Biden was no better when he was there.

I do welcome the motion and I do welcome that the Government has stood up and recognised the State of Palestine. I welcome that more countries are doing so. I also welcome actions such as calling it out by not taking part in the Eurovision and sporting events if Israel is taking part, but that is not enough to stop this genocide and this indiscriminate murder of a whole nation of people. We need to see action. We need to see the occupied territories Bill passed straight away. I want to send solidarity greetings to my colleague Senator Chris Andrews on the flotilla and all of the others. It should not be civilians doing that. It should be this Government and other governments with them taking that action.