Palestine: TDs set to vote on motion to expel Israeli ambassador and impose sanctions tonight

A historic vote will take place Dáil Éireann tonight on a motion calling for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador from Ireland & sanctions on Israel for war crimes, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.

The vote comes after the Irish Government recognised Israel's illegal settlements as a "de facto annexation" of Palestinian land yesterday.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, said a Sinn Féin motion on the issue "is a clear signal of the depth of feeling across Ireland."

"The Government shares that grave concern," he added. "The scale, pace and strategic nature" of Israel's settlement action "is de facto annexation", Minister Coveney told deputies.

He told the Dáil that a return to "business as usual" and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory cannot be accepted.

"That is simply no longer an option in my view," Coveney told the Dáil.

"We cannot return to the flouting of international law, with the expansion of illegal settlements into occupied Palestinian territory. We cannot return to forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank."

Sinn Féin's spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, John Brady, who introduced the motion, welcomed this remark.

Coveney also commented that he had been "deeply troubled" by Sinn Féin's refusal "to call on Hamas to respect international law" in the motion or condemn its attacks on Israel.

The Government confirmed that it would support Sinn Féin's motion if an amendment to include that condemnation was included.

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Ireland must impose sanctions on Israel for war crimes, ethnic cleansing & apartheidhttps://t.co/azG9uiwA2l#gaza #palestinians #freepalestine #palestine #supportpalestine #FromTheRiverToTheSea pic.twitter.com/tDOvzOYDip

— Richard Boyd Barrett (@RBoydBarrett) May 24, 2021

Deputy Brady said that Israel has approved 2,500 additional settlement dwellings since January 2021, with 460 of these in East Jerusalem.

Peace Now claim that in 2020, Israel had "approved or advanced" 12,000 settlement units - the most since the organisation began monitoring these actions in 2012.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in Gaza last Friday, with the intervention of the US and Egypt, but Israeli Defence Forces proceeded to attack Palestinians at the al-Aqsa mosque.

At least 254 Palestinians were killed in this month's violence and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, including 66 children with 10 deaths in Israel. Nearly 2,000 people were injured.

Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley said the world had "looked on in horror" at the violence.

Gary Gannon said the Social Democrats were proud to co-sign the motion, as well as Labour's Brendan Howlin.

"Through deliberate, brutal, calculated action" Israel sought to undermine the prospect of an independent Palestinian state, Howlin stated. "Periodic condemnation is simply not enough".

The US will veto any strong statement on Israel at the United Nations, the Labour TD asserted, going on to remark that two weeks it took to get "a press statement" from the UN Security Council was "shocking".

Richard Boyd Barrett, Solidarity-PBP, repeated his call for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled. Anything less than a complete boycott on Israel "is meaningless", he told the Dáil.

Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Féin leader, said the Dáil stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people. She said that Israel have acted as a "serial violator of international law".

Today represents "the most explicit and united call from this parliament against annexation", she said, calling on the Government to "hold Israel to account".

"The case of Palestine is the acid test for the international community. Do we stand with the brutalised, traumatised refugees of Gaza - or with the Israeli military machine?" McDonald queried.

The Dáil will vote tonight on a People Before Profit amendment of the Sinn Féin Private Members motion.

If passed, the amendment would require the Government to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland and seeks economic, political and cultural sanctions against Israel.

Email your local TDs to have your voice heard in the vote.