I welcome this Bill being progressed and the opportunity to speak on it today. This is very important and, frankly, overdue legislation. Like all Members of the House, I am appalled and horrified by the treatment of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli authorities and I condemn the Israeli Government, the genocide it has committed, the ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands, the destruction of homes, the forced displacement of families and collective punishment of an entire people. The Palestinian people have endured decades of oppression, dispossession and injustice. They have had their land stolen, their basic rights denied and have been subjected to a system that no person should ever have to live under. Ireland has been one of the strongest supporters of the Palestinian people and our support has been unwavering. We know from our own history what it is like to experience oppression, abuse and discrimination. We know what it means to be denied dignity and freedom, and that gives us a particular understanding and responsibility to speak out on behalf of the Palestinian people. This Bill is not perfect, and we are all aware of the calls for the inclusion of services. I support the inclusion in particular of the advertisement of services, and if the Government could see its way to include services fully, I would support that also. We should follow what the Spanish have done. It would be helpful if the Government published the legal advice it has received on the inclusion of services. The European Union must also do far more. The EU cannot lecture the world about human rights, freedom, and democracy while some member states fail to take meaningful action and are blocking the suspension of the EU trade agreement with Israel. EU sanctions have significant weight and influence. The EU must use that power and influence to prevent the suffering of the Palestinian people and the destruction of their land. We should be clear about what the illegal settlements are and what they mean in reality. They mean families forced from their homes, people being spat at, abused and degraded by violent and thuggish settlers, and children harassed on their way to and from school and prevented from playing freely as all children should. It means the Palestinian people do not have the chance to live normal, safe and dignified lives. These settlements are illegal and wrong, and we cannot trade with them as normal. We cannot condemn the settlements and actions of the Israeli authorities on one hand and allow for occupation on the other. I urge Ireland, the European Union and the international community to stand up for the Palestinian people and continue to take further action. We have the influence and we must use it. The Palestinian people deserve freedom, justice and dignity. We owe it to the people of Palestine to show them that the world will not watch their suffering in silence but will instead stand up and take action.

Sentiment score: 0.04