George Lawlor: Demands passage of Occupy Territories Bill

This is a moral test for us and I suppose in many respects it echoes our own history. The Occupy 30s Bill has sat idle I think for about eight years now and in that time the situation in Palestine has spiralled into catastrophe. Over 67,000 lives lost in Gaza in recent years and hundreds of thousands of illegal settlers entrenched in the West Bank. It's not a distant tragedy or anything like it, it's genocide unfolding before our eyes on a day-to-day basis. And yet we, as a Parliament, as a nation, and we know all about the fight against colonialism, we hesitate. How much longer will we stand by and hesitate? The Occupy 30s Bill is clear, it bans trade with illegal settlements. Goods and services produced on stolen land should never enter Irish markets. Because that type of trade is just happening in Palestine on a daily basis. Every euro spent on settlement goods helps entrench an occupation that has been condemned by the International Court of Justice. The ICJ ruling in July 2024 was unequivocal. It states that an end must be brought to all economic dealings that maintain this unlawful situation. Do we respect international law or do we ignore it when it's inconvenient? When we've walked this road before, in the 1980s we were the first Western country, as has already been stated, to ban imports from apartheid South Africa. We did it because we believed no Irish hand should profit from oppression. That decision inspired others and helped dismantle a system of racial tyranny. Today we face that same question. Will we act now as we did then, or will we betray our own history of courage? Apartheid in South Africa was propped up by trade and investment. So too is the occupation of Palestine. When Ireland cut ties with apartheid goods, we sent a message that resonated across the globe. Injustice will not be rewarded. Why should this be any different? Why should Ireland shirk away from the very principles that once made us very proud to be Irish? Our solidarity with Palestine is not an abstract thing. It's rooted in our shared experience. We know what it means to live under foreign rule, to see land confiscated, culture suppressed and communities shattered. From the centuries of British domination, to the famine that killed over one million of our people. Oppression is etched in our national memory. We remember the Black and Tans terrorising our towns, and we know the same forces that later exported their brutality to Palestine under the British Mandate. The same empire that partitioned our island, also partitioned theirs. How can we, of all people, of all nations, turn away from a people, enduring what we once endured? Arthur Balfour, who signed the infamous declaration that paved the way for Palestinian dispossession, was the same man who crushed Irish nationalism as Chief Secretary of Ireland. Our histories are intertwined. When we look at Gaza and the West Bank, we see echoes of our own struggle for freedom. So if we don't act, who will? When Nelson Mandela visited Ireland after his release, he praised the courage of ordinary Irish workers who stood against apartheid during the Dunn-Store strike. He said their actions demonstrated to South Africans that ordinary people far away from the crucible of apartheid cared for our freedom. And that their solidarity helped him endure prison. Ireland's stand mattered then, and it matters now. Will we honour that legacy, or will we let it fade into history? Some say this bill is symbolic. Yes, it is symbolic. But symbols matter. They ignite change. Do we want to be leaders, or do we want to be laggards? And the public have also spoken, but 74% of Irish people support this bill. Civil society, churches, trade unions, and human rights goods have all called for its enactment. Demonstrations outside this building, almost daily, demand action. Yet the government delays, waters down, and hides behind legal smoke screens. Even after EU law experts confirmed, Ireland can pass this bill without breaching EU rules. So who are we listening to? Are we listening to the Irish people, or are we listening to foreign lobbyists? Coherlec, history is watching us. Future generations will ask, when genocide unfolded in Gaza, when illegal settlements spread across the West Bank, what did Ireland do? Did we speak, or did we act? We should absolutely pass the Occupy Territories Bill in full, goods and services, before Christmas. No more delays, no more excuses. Ireland must lead, as we did before, and show the world that our principles are not for sale. Let us be the nation that stands for justice. Let us be the people in the nation that says Ireland will not profit from occupation. Ireland will not be complicit in apartheid. And we will act now. Thank you.