Brian Stanley demands immediate passage of Occupied Territories Bill
Brian Stanley urged passage of the Occupied Territories Bill, arguing there is a moral and legal duty to act and that no half measures are acceptable. He accused the State of Israel of carrying out slaughter and genocide, criticised the European Union's response as "absolutely disgraceful," and called for halting the EU-Israeli trade agreement.
Brian Stanley told the chamber the Occupied Territories Bill must be passed without delay or compromise. He appealed directly to the minister and the government to act before the end of the parliamentary session and insisted the State has both a moral and legal responsibility to do so.
He described the State of Israel as a "terrorist State" and said hospitals, places of prayer, tents, refugee housing and ambulance crews have been attacked. He accused Israeli forces of aerial bombardments, slaughter of civilians, and of using Palestinian children as target practice, and warned that campaigns of intimidation in the West Bank continue.
Brian Stanley criticised the European Union's response as "absolutely disgraceful" and said the EU-Israeli trade agreement should have been halted. He contrasted the lack of action here with the decision to impose sanctions on Russia and argued the State is not powerless to take measures.
He invoked past acts of solidarity, noting the earlier parliamentary decision to recognise Palestine and the boycott of South African fruit as examples that changed international policy. He also expressed disappointment at empty government benches during the debate and urged ministers to fulfil election promises on neutrality and international law.
Main demand
Brian Stanley told the chamber the Occupied Territories Bill must be passed without delay or compromise. He appealed directly to the minister and the government to act before the end of the parliamentary session and insisted the State has both a moral and legal responsibility to do so.
Accusations and examples cited
He described the State of Israel as a "terrorist State" and said hospitals, places of prayer, tents, refugee housing and ambulance crews have been attacked. He accused Israeli forces of aerial bombardments, slaughter of civilians, and of using Palestinian children as target practice, and warned that campaigns of intimidation in the West Bank continue.
EU response and trade measures
Brian Stanley criticised the European Union's response as "absolutely disgraceful" and said the EU-Israeli trade agreement should have been halted. He contrasted the lack of action here with the decision to impose sanctions on Russia and argued the State is not powerless to take measures.
Historical parallels and government criticism
He invoked past acts of solidarity, noting the earlier parliamentary decision to recognise Palestine and the boycott of South African fruit as examples that changed international policy. He also expressed disappointment at empty government benches during the debate and urged ministers to fulfil election promises on neutrality and international law.
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Transcript
Thanks, Cairlock, and I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. I think it's long past the time, Minister, that we pass the Occupied Territories Bill. We have a moral and legal duty to do it, and there can be no half measures. Even if we're being bullied or being leaned on by the richest people in the USA, we still have to go ahead and do it. We pass sanctions against Russia quite correctly, and we need to stop the pussyfooting on the Occupied Territories Bill. No half measures. The State of Israel, the terrorist State of Israel, there's been no half measures from them in the last two years. Hospitals, places of prayer, tents, housing refugees that are fleeing, women, children and men slaughtered. Ambulance crews have been bombed. Aerial bombardments on a scale that I've never seen before. The State of Israel has used Palestinian boys and girls as target practice for their soldiers. And throughout all the genocide and terror of the past two years, to continue the campaign of murder and intimidation of people on the West Bank. That continues. And that's why this bill is so important. We all know what the game plan here is of Israel. It's to make sure that there can't be a two-state solution. Break up the West Bank in so many small pieces. Make all the farms and businesses unviable. Intimidate Palestinian communities out of their homes so that Israel cannot fully occupy it. To bulldoze crops, farmsteads, businesses and homes right throughout the last two years, while their campaign of slaughter in Gaza has been continuing. Bullying families off their own land. And replacing them with Yankees from Dixieland and North Carolina, simply on the basis that they're Jews. And I don't care about anybody's religion. I don't care what religion anybody is. That's nothing got to do with it. What's got to do here is right and wrong. And this is wrong from the beginning. And we have to stand up for what's right. All to make the two-state solution unviable. And that's why we must stand firm on this. The response of the EU minister, and I know you have a special responsibility here, the response of the European Union has been absolutely disgraceful. The EU-Israeli trade agreement should have been halted a long time ago. And we're not powerless here to take action. We may be a small enough state. We took the decision to recognise the state of Palestine here in this chamber about a decade ago. And since then, several other states have done it. We've set an example 40 years ago. In fact, the women in Dunn's stores here in Dublin, they set the example when they refused to handle South African fruit. And it's set in train a worldwide boycott of South African goods that brought the apartheid regime in South Africa to its knees. A regime that a lot of people thought couldn't be brought down. So we must stop pushing for it. We're a neutral state. Given the scale of suffering of the Palestinian people and the slaughter and genocide carried out by the terrorist state of Israel, we must act. We have an absolute moral and legal responsibility to do that. And I would remind you of the election promises made by the government parties. We are a neutral state. International law is very clear. We have a responsibility to act. We can't have any more excuses. So it's gone long past the time. I'm appealing to the minister and the government to do the right thing. And I have to say that it's disappointing here to see all of the government ventures empty. You know, you're here and I know you have a role in terms of your brief with government on this and you take an interest in it. But this is shocking. The fact that this is a really important piece of legislation. Now, we've been dancing around it all year. You know, we have a few weeks left in this chamber between now and Christmas. Let's do the right thing and let's pass this bill.