Gino Kenny urges Ireland to back sanctions over Palestine occupation
Gino Kenny criticised the government's response to the Israel-Palestine situation and urged the passage of moderate Oireachtas bills to signal sanctions and accountability for the occupation. He described recent statements from the Tánaiste and other officials as "lip service" and called for concrete measures including a change to the directive and action on the EU-Israel economic agreement.
Claims of lip service and credibility concerns
Gino Kenny said the Tánaiste's statements and other foreign ministerial remarks lack credibility on Palestine, calling them lip service at its worst. He accused the government of turning its back on the Palestinian people and of being afraid of the Americans, the EU, and the nearby Israeli embassy.
Proposed Oireachtas bills and sanctions
He pointed to several moderate bills before the Oireachtas that, if passed, would send a clear signal to the State of Israel that there would be consequences for continuing the occupation. He urged the minister to reconsider and argued the government lacks the political will to enact those measures.
Janine camp and ongoing violence
Kenny described Janine as a camp established in 1953, housing refugees expelled in 1948, and said Israeli forces repeatedly enter the camp and kill people without sanction. He said these actions compound the occupation of Janine and Palestine more broadly and framed Palestinian resistance as a right under oppression.
EU-Israel economic ties and consequences
He warned that the EU-Israel bilateral economic agreement runs into billions of euros per year and increases trade dramatically, and criticised the absence of consequences for Israel's actions and what he described as an apartheid system.
Historical parallels and international solidarity
Kenny invoked Ireland's history of opposing occupiers and compared contemporary solidarity with Palestine to Ireland's stand against South Africa in the 1980s. He argued a small country can act to hold states to account and that doing so would send a powerful international message.
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Minister, I listened to the Tarniste's statement, and I've listened to the Tarniste's statement many, many times, and many other foreign ministers in my time here, and the more I hear of it, the more I kind of, you know, listen, and try to understand what actually they're saying. And the more statements that come out with in relation to this issue, the lack of credibility in relation to Palestine, it becomes, it's lip service, and it's lip service at its worst. There is a number of things that this government can do to change that narrative, and I would respect that you would strongly think about changing the directive. There's a number of bills before this Oireachtas, they're very kind of moderate bills, that would send a signal, not only to Ireland, but the State of Israel, that there is sanctions in relation to their continuing occupation of Palestine. As I said, there are moderate bills, and if they were passed, it would send a signal, a very clear signal, to the world, and to the people of Palestine, that we are on their side, that the State of Israel is accountable for their crimes. Now, Janine is a very interesting place, Minister. Janine is a camp from 1953. The people that are there are refugees from people that were expelled in 1948. So, this is a camp that has suffered of the occupation for decades. And a number of weeks ago, Israel, with their kind of force, continuously go in there and murder people, without sanction. And this is compounding the occupation. And this is compounding the occupation of not only Janine, but Palestine itself. And this is the historic wrong of this situation, Minister. And Palestinians have every right to challenge the occupation. Like people in the north of Ireland, they have a right to challenge British occupation, and whether that's by force, or peaceful means, that's their prerogative. Because when you have. Because when you are oppressed, and brutalized, on a daily basis, people, no matter where they are in the world, have a right to challenge that, and resist it. Now, again, Minister, there is a number of things that this State can do. I go back to them two particular bills, but you don't have the guts to do it. And the reason why you don't have the guts to do it is because you're afraid of the Americans, you're afraid of the EU, and you're afraid of the Israeli embassy, not too far from here. You're afraid of the kind of the consequence. I would ask you to think about that again. As I said, these are very, very moderate bills that would send a signal to the world in relation to the Palestine situation. Another situation that is ongoing is in relation to the EU-Israel bilateral economic agreement. This runs into billions of euros per year. This exponentially increases in relation to trade. Now, you think about it. What Israel does on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, on a yearly basis, is there any consequences for the State of Israel in relation to what they do, in relation to the apartheid system? There's none. Absolutely zero. It really kind of beggars the belief why this continuously happens. But it's not a surprise. It's not a surprise. Because, as we have heard from today, it's lip service. There's no credibility. And we've lost all sort of hope in relation to this government's change in direction. But look, the Irish people have a long history of fighting occupiers. We are on the side of the ordinary Palestinian people that fight against occupation, that fight against oppression. And we will always be on their side, Minister. Your government have chosen to turn their backs on the Palestinian people for the sake of credibility in relation to them three forces that are mentioned. Again, Minister, think about it. Think about what your government could do in relation to just one of them bills. One of them bills that could actually send that message across the world that there is consequences for apartheid, there is consequences for racism, and there is a consequence against oppression. A small country like Ireland that has stood against British imperialism for 800 years, standing and saying, look, we as a country can do something. We've done it before in the 1980s, remember, in relation to South Africa. A small country on the periphery of Europe to say, look, what's happening thousands of miles away is brutal. It's horrible. But we stand in solidarity with the people of South Africa. Now we need to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. And that's the best message we can send from here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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