Sinéad Gibney: Maiden speech urges enactment of Occupied Territories Bill

As this is my maiden speech, I'd like to start by thanking my colleagues, my supporters, my friends, my family and my partner, without whom I wouldn't be here. And I'd like to thank the people of Dublin, Rathdowne, for giving me the honour of representing you here in this 34th Dáil. I worked hard to get your votes and I will work hard to serve you. I connected with many of you through canvassing and I will connect with many more of you through my constituency work. So I'm bwík, a sáctam múiní na tó, a gwíf a nám, agus jean for múiní hál díóf, múiní tó, a gwíf a nám. People think of Dublin, Rathdowne, as a homogenous area of affluence and political conservatism. But having campaigned across this constituency, that is not my experience. I met many voters during the campaign who are struggling to make ends meet, who cannot access the most basic services that they require to simply live lives of dignity, who are living in their childhood homes decades past their point of choosing because our national housing crisis is so entrenched. These people want to see change. They support a progressive left vision of governance for this country. As Social Democrats, we share this vision. Public services that people can rely on, transparency and accountability in government and political leadership and honesty in their representatives. The type of politics will ultimately help this country to thrive. The hallmarks of my time as a representative here will be integrity, honesty and hard work. I will say things in this chamber that I have considered, that I believe in and that are worthy of national debate. I will treat with respect and dignity all other members, staff and the media in advancing my constituency and portfolio work. And I am truly honoured that the first topic I speak on is the Occupied Territories Bill and I thank Shin Fein for bringing this motion and Senator Black and everybody who has worked for the past seven years on this particular bill. Our party, the Social Democrats, has stood firm on Palestine, pushing for Ireland to go beyond words and into actions. These actions must include the enactment of the Occupied Territories Bill and for the Irish government to take every possible step to uphold the Genocide Convention and the ruling of the International Court of Justice in opposing illegal occupation and genocide. In the last hall, we tabled a motion calling for the government to progress and enact the Occupied Territories Bill and in the twilight of the last term, we offered up our private members' time to facilitate this. I am proud to be a member of a party which has followed through on our support of Palestine with real actions. This country has a proud history in opposing apartheid and in defending principles of peace and human rights on the world stage. Ordinary people up and down this country want to see us honour that history. The connection that the Irish people have with the people of Palestine, it runs deep. It comes from an understanding of occupation that many other European countries simply don't have. And it sets us up to be leaders in this space, to show our fellow EU member states what it means to stand up and resist the occupier, the bully, the warmonger. We should have been the first country to recognise the state of Palestine. We should have been the first to go to the ICJ. And we should now be the first Western country to bring about these meaningful sanctions. We must stand strong on the principle that it is wrong to trade in goods and services from illegally occupied land. And that is what this bill does. Anything less is a failure to fulfil our duties under international law and the mandate of the Irish people who have been overwhelmingly vocal on this issue. And this is true whether it is in Ukraine, in Western Sahara, in Golan Heights, or in Palestine. It was the right thing when it passed at second stage in 2019. And it was the right thing last year when the Social Democrats tabled a motion calling for it to be progressed. In advancing this bill, we must not be hindered by platitudes of economic consequences and disapproval from multinational corporations. Trade is a critical component of our economic stability, but human life is not a bargaining chip. Our obligations under international law, laws which protect the rights of every person to live in peace and dignity are paramount. If the government wishes to trade away those obligations, then I, on behalf of the Irish people, ask them to name what price exactly they plan to put on them. We are at a delicate time in our global history where the rules of international law that we all signed up to are under daily and increasing threat. World leaders are emboldened by the lack of sanction for the escalation of violence and occupation around the world. Leaders ranging from brutal dictators to the elected president of the United States are openly talking about the business and money to be made from the very worst atrocities of humanity is capable of. It is at times like these we must remember the principles which international law is founded upon. The preamble to the UN Charter states that we the people of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to humankind. To reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small. And to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained. If we do not stand firm in upholding international law, in rejection of war, ethnic cleansing and genocide profiteering as legitimate business, we contribute to making a more dangerous, violent and brutal world. Because since my first day as a TD, my inbox has been full of people pleading with me and the rest of Dáil Éireann to progress the Occupied Territories Bill. The people of Ireland despair at the images and horror they have seen in the last year and a half and at the lack of action from their representatives. It is as disappointing today as it was at the height of South African apartheid to see the establishment dragging its heels while the Irish people take to the streets and demand that they do the right thing. I knocked on one door in the run-up to the election which I will never forget. I met a family behind that door who had just stepped away from their dinner table where they had collectively cried following what they had seen on the day's news in Gaza. And that is why I am here tonight to support this motion to call for the progression of the Occupied Territories Bill and to call for Saoirse Dunfalisteen. So, I promise you guys I have a huge, huge amount of people who have been here today. As a fan of the далito, we will get the opportunity to do that. So, you can see, as I said, the limits of the fact that there could be a possibility of making that there is so much more, that there could be a possibility of being here.