George Lawlor Calls Israel's Actions 'Genocide', Demands UN Session
George Lawlor said the Israeli government's actions in Gaza amount to genocide and urged Dáil Éireann to mandate the government to press for urgent UN action. He insisted Ireland must move beyond sympathy to concrete measures, including a special UN General Assembly session, a ceasefire, a lasting peace and an international peacekeeping force.
The speaker described the ongoing actions by the Israeli government in Palestine as genocide, arguing they fit the definition of intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. He said the international community's muted response and fine words are insufficient in the face of what he called a modern-day attempt to exterminate a people.
He cited a devastating human cost, saying the violence has resulted in the loss of life in excess of 50,000 innocent civilians and has created a suffocating environment marked by death, starvation, demolished homes and torn-apart families. The speech framed the current crisis as one where children, women and men are being killed and starved while the world largely stands by.
Lawlor invoked Ireland's own history of famine, centuries of oppression and experience of imperialism to argue that Ireland is uniquely positioned to empathise with the Palestinians. He said sympathy is no longer enough and that Ireland should not be complicit through inaction alongside its European peers.
The Labour Party motion he outlined asks Dáil Éireann to mandate the government to call for a new emergency special session of the UN General Assembly. The motion proposes that Ireland should table a resolution noting the failure of the Security Council and international community to act, and call for collective measures to enable a lasting ceasefire, a sustainable peace agreement and the creation of an international peacekeeping force for Gaza to allow delivery of UN humanitarian aid and protect the Palestinian people.
Allegation of genocide
The speaker described the ongoing actions by the Israeli government in Palestine as genocide, arguing they fit the definition of intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. He said the international community's muted response and fine words are insufficient in the face of what he called a modern-day attempt to exterminate a people.
Humanitarian toll in Gaza
He cited a devastating human cost, saying the violence has resulted in the loss of life in excess of 50,000 innocent civilians and has created a suffocating environment marked by death, starvation, demolished homes and torn-apart families. The speech framed the current crisis as one where children, women and men are being killed and starved while the world largely stands by.
Ireland's history and moral obligation
Lawlor invoked Ireland's own history of famine, centuries of oppression and experience of imperialism to argue that Ireland is uniquely positioned to empathise with the Palestinians. He said sympathy is no longer enough and that Ireland should not be complicit through inaction alongside its European peers.
Parliamentary motion and international measures sought
The Labour Party motion he outlined asks Dáil Éireann to mandate the government to call for a new emergency special session of the UN General Assembly. The motion proposes that Ireland should table a resolution noting the failure of the Security Council and international community to act, and call for collective measures to enable a lasting ceasefire, a sustainable peace agreement and the creation of an international peacekeeping force for Gaza to allow delivery of UN humanitarian aid and protect the Palestinian people.
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Transcript
The ongoing genocide in Palestine perpetrated by an Israeli government hell-bent on wiping out an entire people is something which we, as part of an international community, should be hanging our heads in shame about. The entire international community is standing idly by and muttering fine words whilst thousands of babies, children, women and men are being wiped out by evil. The entire international community is standing idly by whilst our modern day attempt to exterminate a people is happening in full view. And yet we hear the fine words and condemnations of countries who told us that after the Second World War a people would never again be allowed to be treated in the manner that the Jewish community were treated in so horrifically. Yet we stand idly by whilst a fascist right-wing Israeli monster slaughters and starves the innocent children and people of Gaza. As a nation and a people we remember our own famine. As a nation and a people we remember the oppression we suffered for 800 years. As a nation and a people we suffered at the hands of imperialism and yet we are complicit among our European brethren in the slaughter of the innocents by our inaction. The term genocide is not used lightly. It signifies the intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. The actions of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people fits this definition disturbingly well. The Israeli government's genocidal actions have created a suffocating environment for the Palestinian people marked by death and starvation. Daily in front of our eyes we witness the modern day extermination of an entire people. The violence as the world knows has resulted in the devastating loss of life within excess of 50,000 innocent civilians, men, women and children slaughtered by evil. The world watches as homes are demolished and families are torn apart yet the international response remains tepid at best. This silence is complicity. Ireland has a rich history of struggle against colonialism and oppression. The Irish people's own experience with British rule positions us uniquely to emphasise with the plight of the Palestinians. It is time for our government to reflect on this history and recognise our moral obligation to stand in solidarity with those who are oppressed. The actions of sympathy are no longer sufficient. We now need action. One of the most effective ways the Irish government can support the Palestinian people is by advocating for their rights on the international stage. This Labour Party motion calls for more than just words. The motion asks that Dáil Éireann mandate the government to call for a new emergency special session of the UN General Assembly where Ireland should table a resolution noting the failure of the Security Council and international community to act to end Israel's war on Gaza and calls for collective measures to enable the development of a lasting ceasefire, a sustainable peace agreement and the creation of an international peacekeeping force for Gaza to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid through the UN and the protection of the safety and security of the Palestinian people. The future of Palestine and its people depends on the actions we take today and every day. Let us not be remembered as a bystander in this critical moment of history.