Richard Boyd Barrett: Israel and US 'Rained Down Death and Destruction'
Richard Boyd Barrett accuses the Israeli regime and the United States of waging a criminal war that has killed thousands and of enabling nearly three years of slaughter against the Palestinian people. He criticises the European Union and the Irish government for failing to suspend trade arrangements, stop US military transit through Shannon, or pass the Occupied Territories Bill.
Richard Boyd Barrett sets out a forceful condemnation of Israeli and US actions in the region, arguing they have caused widespread death and destruction in Iran and Lebanon and sustained a genocidal campaign against Palestinians. He highlights recent reports of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and new draconian proposals targeting Palestinians resisting occupation.
Barrett criticises the European Union for not suspending special trade status for Israel and condemns the Irish government for permitting US military flights through Shannon and refusing to pass the Occupied Territories Bill or back a boycott of sporting contact. He objects to calls for Hezbollah disarmament while the Israeli regime faces no comparable demands.
He gives a brief account of the aftermath of the 1982 Shatila and Sabra massacre, noting that Hezbollah emerged after that atrocity, and argues that responses to state violence have shaped the current dynamics of the conflict.
Barrett frames these issues as moral and legal failings at both EU and national levels, calling for a re-examination of Ireland's posture toward Israel and the facilitation of military activities. The speech presses for accountability and policy change in response to alleged crimes and human-rights abuses.
Summary of the speech
Richard Boyd Barrett sets out a forceful condemnation of Israeli and US actions in the region, arguing they have caused widespread death and destruction in Iran and Lebanon and sustained a genocidal campaign against Palestinians. He highlights recent reports of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and new draconian proposals targeting Palestinians resisting occupation.
International and Irish response
Barrett criticises the European Union for not suspending special trade status for Israel and condemns the Irish government for permitting US military flights through Shannon and refusing to pass the Occupied Territories Bill or back a boycott of sporting contact. He objects to calls for Hezbollah disarmament while the Israeli regime faces no comparable demands.
Historical context offered
He gives a brief account of the aftermath of the 1982 Shatila and Sabra massacre, noting that Hezbollah emerged after that atrocity, and argues that responses to state violence have shaped the current dynamics of the conflict.
Implications and political stakes
Barrett frames these issues as moral and legal failings at both EU and national levels, calling for a re-examination of Ireland's posture toward Israel and the facilitation of military activities. The speech presses for accountability and policy change in response to alleged crimes and human-rights abuses.
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Transcript
The Israeli regime and the United States have rained down death and destruction on thousands of people in a criminal war that they instigated in Iran, in Lebanon, and the Israeli regime has done that following nearly three years of a genocidal slaughter against the Palestinian people. It continues to allow illegal settlers to run amok, terrorising Palestinians on the West Bank. They're now going to introduce a law to execute Palestinians who are resisting an illegal occupation of their land. There were reports in the last week of animals being used to rape Palestinian prisoners under the Israeli authorities. Now against that background, the European Union fails to suspend the EU Trade Association Agreement, the special trade status this regime gets, and the Irish government continues, despite the fact that it was forced to raise that issue, to call for a re-examination of this thing, they continue to allow the US military to go through Shannon Airport, flights go through our airspace, facilitating the US military machine who are involved with this regime, committing these crimes, refuse to pass the Occupied Territories Bill, refuse to call for a boycott against the football match that Ireland is playing with Israel, despite the fact that UN experts are even saying we shouldn't be playing football with teams involved in legal occupation and genocide. The only group in your speech that are called for for disarmament is Hezbollah, Hezbollah, not the Israeli regime, who refused to sign the NPT, who are in the dock for genocide, but Hezbollah. And I'd just like to do a little brief history lesson. After the Shatila Sabra massacre in 1982, which was investigated by former Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Sean McBride, Hezbollah didn't exist. That massacre carried out, essentially orchestrated by the Israelis and Lebanese Falange, fascist forces, was deemed by Sean McBride and the UN at the time to be a genocidal massacre. It was only in the aftermath of that genocidal massacre by Israel and its allies that Hezbollah came into existence. They were a response to the terrorism of the Israeli state and yet we still refuse to sanction that state and we treat it as normal when it is clearly a terrorist state. For more UN videos visit www.un.org