Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 27 May 2025

Taoiseach, even as it commits genocide in Gaza, you refuse to sanction Israel. Even as Israel massacres thousands of children, burns families, starves a refugee population, they are allowed to act with impunity. Your claim that Sinn Fein's bill, which aims to stop the Irish Central Bank overseeing the sale of Israeli war bonds across Europe, your claim that that is incompatible with EU law is utterly, utterly bogus, cynical and bogus. We have advice from the Oireachtas services here, which confirms that the bill is in compliance with EU and international law, in compliance with Irish law, in compliance with the Irish constitution, and you know this well. This legislation to stop the overseeing of the sale of Israeli war bonds is not only necessary, it is absolutely urgent, Taoiseach. I challenge you to come clean, to be honest, and to make good on your vow, to do everything within your power to stop the genocide. Ireland should not be complicit in the funding of a genocide against innocent Palestinian men, women and children. First of all, this government, and I have made it very, very clear, that as far as we are concerned, Israel has and is committing a war crime, in terms of the weaponisation of humanitarian aid going into Gaza, and in terms of the blockade, and the prevention of the very basic necessities of life going into Gaza. We have been very proactive from the very beginning, the first country in the EU to call for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza. We were instrumental in persuading people at the European Union not to take aid away from UNRWA, but rather to increase support for UNRWA, and we effectively and successfully enabled that to happen. We intervened in the South African case under the Genocidal Convention in a very comprehensive and impactful way, as opposed to any political showboating that people might have advocated for earlier. We also were key in terms of supporting the motions at the United Nations in respect to the advisory opinion that led to the ICJ judgment. Ireland has been very proactive. However, in terms of the bill that is before us, you know as well, it is simply unworkable. Deputy Ivana Batchik, please stand for your question. Mr Hon. Hon. Hon. Hon. Hon. Hon.