Paul Murphy: Calls on Taoiseach to Back Sanctions Over Genocide
Paul Murphy confronted the Taoiseach over Ireland's response to Israel's actions in Palestine, asking whether an admission of genocide requires concrete sanctions. He pressed for a vote to back a bill for comprehensive sanctions and urged action at EU level, including suspending the Trade Association Agreement.
Main claim
Paul Murphy challenged the government to match words with deeds after the Taoiseach acknowledged that Israel has committed genocide in Palestine. He argued that recognising genocide must carry legal and political consequences, and called for support for a bill imposing comprehensive sanctions on Israel.
Trade figures and EU options
Murphy cited preliminary analysis showing roughly 190,000 euros worth of goods directly entering Ireland from the Occupied Territories, with others routed through Antwerp. He said the principal push should be at EU level to examine suspension of the Trade Association Agreement as a more consequential response.
Next steps and parliamentary process
Murphy noted further work is ongoing and that the Minister will return to the Dail with more detail. He urged colleagues to consider whether adherence to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide requires legislative and diplomatic measures now.
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Taoiseach, you rightly say that Israel has committed genocide in Palestine. I don't know if you accept that Israel is still committing genocide in Palestine. But surely that has to mean something in terms of what you do. Surely it's a contradiction to say that Israel is committing genocide and then spend your time trying to ensure that we do nothing to actually punish or impact or prevent the continuation of that genocide. Does the Convention on Genocide mean anything to you? Because if it does, you will vote to support our bill for comprehensive sanctions on Israel. The idea that a state could continue in this way without comprehensive sanctions by any state that claims to stand up for human rights makes no sense whatsoever. What I would say is that in terms of, and I met President Aoun from Lebanon recently, he attended the informal, after the informal EU Council meeting, and he cited the Irish experience in terms of peace process, conflict resolution as a basis as to how Lebanon, Israel could be resolved and the Palestinian question. And so we do want, that's the other side of the coin, we want to be part of solutions as well, we want to use our experience in conflict resolution to help in that regard. On the Occupied Territories Bill, Minister McEntee has engaged with the Attorney General on that, and I've made it very clear, I don't believe services should be included in that Bill, I think that would damage Ireland more than anybody. It's largely a symbolic Bill, it will not have any practical, significant impact on the ground, but nonetheless it will come before the House. But we need to be all honest and clear about that, and when there is detailed analysis done, I think about 190,000 worth of goods, Euros worth of goods is what's come in, others go through Antwerp and don't come directly into the country when you analyse it. So anyway, but a lot of work has been done on that and the Minister will come back to the House in respect of it. But at the European Union level, the real push is to see can we suspend the Trade Association Agreement.
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