I commend the Palestine solidarity movement. Over the past number of years, it has marched probably a couple of hundred of kilometres at this stage. It is a testament to the Irish people and their solidarity with the Palestinian people. I would like to thank Deputy Boyd Barrett and Senator Black. The occupied territories Bill has been ongoing for eight years. I remember it took 24 hours to bail out the bankers and the bondholders. When they needed the money, the Government was there. It was right there right beside them supporting them. I am sorry the Minister has gone because last week, she spoke proudly on Europe Day about what the EU have done with regard to Russia. Within days of the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU acted decisively and collectively. They were all together in this sanctioning of Russia but every time an occupied territory Bill comes before this Chamber, the Government says we are working together with the countries to build a coalition in terms of bringing sanctions against Israel. Let us call it what it is - a genocidal apartheid regime. It has been attacking Gaza for the last two and a half years while murdering in the region of 80,000 people. In Lebanon, it is currently ethnically cleansing entire villages and wiping them off the map in a tactic it learned in Gaza. A total of 80% of those in Gaza who have been displaced multiple times are actually refugees from the Nakba in 1948. There has been illegal and criminal use of food, water and sewage to spread disease and electricity has been cut. These are basic needs for human existence that are controlled by the Zionist regime. It has attacked and invaded Syria again murdering people and destroying their homes and villages. It has attacked Qatar, a US ally, killing the Hamas negotiating team while it was trying to negotiate peace. It recently kicked off another war with Iran. How did it start? It killed many the Iranian leaders who were actually negotiating with the US on a peace deal to prevent war. The terrorist wing, Mossad, kills and maims people across the world whenever it suits it. In 2010, Ireland expelled an Israeli diplomat because the Zionist terror regime was using the passports of innocent Irish people in Dubai. The Israeli terrorist regime operates an apartheid regime while stealing land from Palestinians every day, bulldozing their homes and businesses and moving mostly foreign settlers paid for by the economic support the European Union has given it. The Minister of State may look away. I hope he is ashamed that he will not even look while I am speaking. Palestinians have to use separate roads if they are even allowed on the roads following hours being held at checkpoints. Israelis have separate Jewish-only roads. Churches and mosques are closed at the whim of the Israeli murder machine to give Zionists the ability to walk through Palestinian communities. We see it every week on our social media. It is actually very similar to how our own citizens in the North were treated by the unionist regime during the marching season by being forced into their own homes and communities to facilitate triumphalist marches. I cannot even begin to describe the treatment of Palestinian women and children in Zionist jails. The reports of rape, torture, starvation and utter horror would make even the Nazis hold their heads in shame. This is only the tip of the iceberg of the abuse of the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Why? Because they do not let the media in. They have killed all of the journalists who were there and do not allow any journalists in. To be honest, the Minister's words mean absolutely nothing. She states "It is well understood that EU sanctions regimes are designed carefully to avoid and mitigate unintended consequences, including consequences for civilian populations and access to essential goods" and so on. What does that actually mean for the people who are being murdered today or the villages that are being ethnically cleansed today? What does that mean for the homes, schools, churches and hospitals or to the ambulances driving to somebody when they have just blown a family up? They deliberately target the ambulances and the paramedics. What sort of society and people can do that but what sort of people can stand by and see it happening? This is not the Germany of the 1940s and the Second World War where people opened up the concentration camps and saw the horrors of what was going on. We know this is happening now. We have seen it happen on a daily basis. We get it through our phones, media and newspapers. We see it every day and yet the EU can laud itself on how wonderful it is and the Minister of State as part of this Government can laud himself about how wonderful the Government is with regard to Russia. I tell the Minister of State that the Government can hang its head in shame when it comes to the people of Palestine, Lebanon and Syria; the people who are being murdered on a daily basis by that murderous regime. There is one thing the Government can do. None of those Deputies, unfortunately, turned up today to listen to this but I hope they are listening and I hope that over the next few days, when the emails come flying through and the lobbying comes through, they examine their consciences. I hope they look at themselves, their own families, the homes they built, the communities in which they live, the churches, schools and hospitals they go to and everything that has been built up in their community and I hope they say "my God, am I lucky. I have this but the Palestinian people do not". I hope they look at their consciences next week, dig deep and say they are going to support this Bill because it is the right thing to do.

Sentiment score: -0.12