Gino Kenny Condemns Gaza Violence, Demands Occupy Territories Bill
Gino Kenny addressed the Dáil, condemning the last 13 months of violence in Gaza and urging stronger action. He supported a Social Democrats motion and called for passage of the Occupy Territories Bill and for the Israeli ambassador to remain on garden leave and be unwelcome.
Kenny commended the Social Democrats for bringing a poignant motion about the televised images from Gaza, saying the scenes are almost unbearable yet must be watched to prevent further suffering. He framed the motion as necessary given what he described as the exceptional inhumanity directed at the people of Gaza over the past 13 months.
He compared the politicisation of the current conflict to the Vietnam War era, citing mass slaughter in Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1960s and 1970s. Kenny argued that the driving forces behind such mass violence are "hatred and racism," a phrase he used to explain the logic he sees behind the events in Gaza.
Kenny warned that the last 13 months have seen the greatest concentration of armaments since World War II and noted the historical suffering of the Jewish people under the Nazis. He used these references to stress the extraordinary scale of violence and the moral urgency of the situation as he sees it.
Kenny called for the Occupy Territories Bill, which he said has been around since 2018, to be legislated without further delay and pressed the Government to do more. He questioned how the Israeli ambassador remains in the country, saying she should stay on garden leave and never be welcome, reflecting public movement sentiment he described across the country and world.
Kenny warned that tolerating the current situation would endanger future generations, echoing a broader movement demanding accountability and legislative action. He closed by stressing that turning away from the images would allow the violence to continue and that vigilance and action are required.
Social Democrats motion
Kenny commended the Social Democrats for bringing a poignant motion about the televised images from Gaza, saying the scenes are almost unbearable yet must be watched to prevent further suffering. He framed the motion as necessary given what he described as the exceptional inhumanity directed at the people of Gaza over the past 13 months.
Historic comparison and causes
He compared the politicisation of the current conflict to the Vietnam War era, citing mass slaughter in Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1960s and 1970s. Kenny argued that the driving forces behind such mass violence are "hatred and racism," a phrase he used to explain the logic he sees behind the events in Gaza.
Scale of violence and historical reference
Kenny warned that the last 13 months have seen the greatest concentration of armaments since World War II and noted the historical suffering of the Jewish people under the Nazis. He used these references to stress the extraordinary scale of violence and the moral urgency of the situation as he sees it.
Legislative demands and diplomat criticism
Kenny called for the Occupy Territories Bill, which he said has been around since 2018, to be legislated without further delay and pressed the Government to do more. He questioned how the Israeli ambassador remains in the country, saying she should stay on garden leave and never be welcome, reflecting public movement sentiment he described across the country and world.
Concerns about future consequences
Kenny warned that tolerating the current situation would endanger future generations, echoing a broader movement demanding accountability and legislative action. He closed by stressing that turning away from the images would allow the violence to continue and that vigilance and action are required.
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Transcript
I too would like to wish Brendan and Catherine well wishes on their future outside Dáil Erdoin. So, yeah, and I would like to commend Social Democrats today on this very poignant motion in terms of what we're seeing on our television screens every night. It's almost unbearable to watch, but you have to keep watching because if you turn away, then it will keep happening. I think the last 13 months have been exceptional in terms of the absolutely inhumanity, what has been done to the people of Gaza. And the only parallel I can make in terms of the politicisation of the world is the Vietnam War. In the Vietnam War in the 1960s and the 1970s, a huge generation became politicised. And during that war, it's hard to believe that two million people from Vietnam, Cambodia were massacred. Now, what makes a so-called country want to kill two million people? And the only thing I can think of is two words, is hatred and racism. Because that's the only logic in terms of what's happening in Gaza today. And the facts are pretty stark. In the last 13 months, we've witnessed the greatest concentration of armaments since World War II. And how, what the Yardney, of all that is, it was the Jewish people themselves that suffered absolutely terribly by the Nazis in World War II. But now we are seeing a concentration of violence that we've never witnessed before. Our Minister, we need to do, and I do, like we do acknowledge this, this country has done better than the other European countries. But it has to do a lot better in terms of the Occupy Territories Bill, which should have been legislated for by now. This is a piece of legislation that was around since 2018. That's maybe six years ago. How the Israeli ambassador is still in this country is beyond me. Now, I know she's on garden leave, but we should say to her, she should stay on garden leave and stay in design estate, and she'd never, ever be welcome in this country. There's a movement minister across this country and the world that says, you know, this cannot be tolerated, because if it's tolerated, then everybody's children will be next. Thank you.