Paul Murphy Calls Israel's Campaign 'Genocidal' and Demands Action

For almost a year, Israel has been waging a genocidal war against the Palestinians. Over 40,000 people in Gaza have been murdered and the Israeli attacks on Lebanon haven't just started in the last couple of days. They've also been escalating over the last year. Over the last year, around 10,000 attacks on Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of over 1,000 people. But they have now massively escalated. They are indiscriminately carpet bombing southern Lebanon. They are consciously and openly targeting civilian homes. In the last 24 hours alone, Minister, they have killed more than 500 people. They have murdered more than 50 children. And there are now tens of thousands of people desperately trying to flee out of southern Lebanon. This comes after the acts of state terrorism, thousands of walkie talkies of pagers blowing up across the country, maiming and killing women, children and men. And just like before the genocide in Gaza, we have public statements from the Israeli leaders telling to the world their intent to commit war crimes. The Minister for Foreign Affairs tweeting any civilian living near Hezbollah weapons should leave their homes immediately for their own safety. And admission that they are targeting people people's homes in Lebanon with exactly the same justification they have used to destroy Gaza. The Minister for Diaspora openly saying that Lebanon does not meet the definition of a country and the border needs to be changed. War crime after war crime after war crime for a year. And still, the US continues to send weapons to Israel to commit these war crimes. Twenty billion dollars of weapons agreed just last month. Is there no line that Israel cannot cross? Is a ground invasion of Lebanon coming next? An all out regional war? Minister, will you condemn these as the war crimes that they are? Will the Taoiseach at the UN call for the US to stop sending Israeli weapons? But more than words, Minister, we need actions. Will you stop blocking the Occupied Territories Bill? Will you impose sanctions on Israel? Will you tell the Israeli ambassador not to come back? Minister, finally, can you tell us whether any of the bombs that are raining down on Lebanon now have passed through Irish airspace? The Taoiseach told the Dáil that no airport in Ireland or Irish sovereign airspace is being used to transport weapons to the conflict. We know now, because of the ditch, that that was untrue. At least nine flights have carried tens of tons of Israeli explosives, ammunition, detonators, parts for fighters through Irish airspace. Will the companies involved who are breaching neutrality, who are breaching the law? Will they be prosecuted? Minister, can you guarantee me that no other flights other than those nine have gone through Irish airspace on the way to Israel? Or does the Government have a don't ask, don't tell policy? Minister, we know now that at least one flight carrying weapons of war from Israel to the US stopped in Shannon Airport. Your Government refuses to inspect those planes. Will you now agree to start inspections? Members of the Lebanese community in Ireland have called an emergency protest for tomorrow 5pm at the Dáil and Saturday 1pm at the Department of Foreign Affairs? So, thank you Deputy for raising what is such a deeply important issue for all of us, for the Middle East and for the world. The Taoiseach, the Taoiseach and the Government have been at the forefront, responding back and representing the views of the Irish people in terms of the conflict in the Middle East, what this means for the people of Gaza and what this means for the people of Lebanon. The Taoiseach and the Taoiseach and the Taoiseach and the Taoiseach and they are continuing this approach and this work in New York at the United Nations at the moment have at every stage in this awful conflict made the case for and called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and also for unhindered and free humanitarian access to be provided to ensure that those, particularly within Gaza, those who are left, have access to the care they need in conditions that are just truly awful and terrible. The Government will continue to make the case for this in the United Nations and will continue to engage with other partners within the European Union and across the world on this issue. As you are aware of the initiative that is underway from Egypt, from Qatar and from the US to try to put in place the conditions for the ceasefire, we call again for that to be adhered to and for that to happen. In relation to the point that you have made regarding the allegations regarding the passage of munitions through Irish sovereign territory, I want to again inform the Dáil that for 2023 and to date in 2024, no applications have been received or exemptions granted for the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft to a point in Israel. The House and the House and the House will be aware of our law in this area, the orders of 1973 and 1989, that very explicitly prohibits the passage of munitions on civil aircraft through our airspace. No permission was sought, no permission was given. No permission was given, of course I am aware of the issues that you are raising there regarding the passage of aircraft through our space and the allegations that have been made there. And as I speak, the Department of Transport is now conducting an examination into these reports and is engaging with the carriers that were involved with those airplanes. We take any such allegations very seriously, but I go back to the substantive issue that I made there, which is our ongoing condemnation of the loss of life and our act of diplomacy within the European Union and the United Nations to create the conditions for that to come to an end. Minister, you cannot, with any sincerity, on the one hand, condemn the loss of life, say we are doing everything we can to push for a ceasefire and then turn a blind eye to weapons travelling through Irish airspace against the law being used by Israel to commit these war crimes. You cannot, in all sincerity, claim to be doing everything you are doing for a ceasefire, while you refuse to mention the one thing that enables Israel to do what they are doing, which is the weapons, tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons, given by the US to Israel to commit these war crimes. You refuse to mention it, you refuse to answer the question, Simon Harris should use his position at the UN to call for an end to those weapons which facilitate the genocide happening and the assault on Israel. You also, Minister, you also did not answer the question, did any weapons that are currently being used against the people in Lebanon, did they pass through Irish airspace? We know that the same sort of explosives that were used in the pagers, that blew up all across Lebanon, killing children, we know that those explosives, the same sort of explosives, did pass through Irish airspace. We do not know whether they were the exact same ones. Minister, can you tell me here now, can you give me a guarantee that we are not going to find out about any force? Is it just the nine flights, or has the government very, very consciously adopted a hear no evil, see no evil approach? You say the right things, you try and pander to public opinion on this, but you are not willing to challenge the role of US imperialism, including the actual passage of weapons, to Israel to commit these crimes. But even in matters of such importance, you cannot park your normal tactics of allegation and division. This government has made clear again and again our condemnation of what is happening. It is this government, with the support of the Oireachtas, that brought forward our recognition of the State of Palestine. It is the same government that took action to protect UNGA, to ensure the distribution of food to those who need it the most. And our Taoiseach and our Taoiseach have been, as I said, in the front line within the European Union, in condemning what is happening, and in calling for and pushing for further action to be taken. You are looking to create the sense of some kind of tacit support for the passage of anything through our airspace. I have reminded you of what our law is, of how it has been implemented, and confirmed to you that no permission was sought, no permission was given, nor I did would I believe any permission would have been given. In relation to the action that will be taken in relation to it, it is, as I said, consists of the investigation that is underway, which I am sure when it is concluded, the Minister for Transport will be able to give an indication of the outcome from it on us. And will be the continued implementation of our law, saying that we do not support and it is illegal for such materials to come into Irish sovereign territory or airspace.