Middle East and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Motion (Resumed)

The following motion was moved by the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, on Wednesday, 18 October 2023:

That Dáil Éireann:

— unreservedly condemns the brutal attack by Hamas in Israel on Saturday, 7th October last, indiscriminately, and systematically targeting civilians, and resulting in over 1,400 deaths;

— utterly condemns the hospital bombing that occurred last evening;

— echoes the call of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of all civilians in Gaza, who are suffering the appalling consequences of violence;

— calls for immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to meet the urgent needs of all civilians in Gaza, through humanitarian corridors or any other means necessary;

— emphasises that the deliberate taking of hostages, including children and the elderly, is unconscionable and calls for their immediate and unconditional release;

— expresses its alarm and deep concern at the rising death toll and displacement of civilians and acute humanitarian needs in Gaza, with over 3,000 deaths to date, of whom 1,000 are children, and hundreds of thousands displaced underlines that, under international law, Israel has responsibilities in respect of the basic needs of the population of Gaza including food, water, medical and energy supplies, and calls for these supplies to be urgently restored;

— emphasises that Israel’s right to defend itself from attack, must be in line with international law;

— stresses the universal applicability of international law and international humanitarian law – including the prohibition on the targeting of civilians, the principle of proportionality, the prohibition on collective punishment, the prohibition on the use of "human shields" and the prohibition on indiscriminate attacks – to all in armed conflict;

— emphasises the obligation on parties to take all precautions to protect the civilian population and civilian objects under its control against the effects of attacks; and calls on all those involved to abide by their obligations in this regard;

— recalls that abiding by international humanitarian law is not optional and that it is an obligation that is binding on all parties, in all conflicts, state actors and non-state actors alike;

— calls on all involved to abide by their obligations in this regard, and unreservedly condemns all violations of international humanitarian law;

— extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of all of the victims who have been killed, injured, and taken hostage;

— in line with the call by the UN, strongly urges Israel to rescind the order for civilians in Gaza to move south of the Wadi Gaza line and reiterates in the strongest terms that this is causing a humanitarian catastrophe;

— expresses its deep concern at the increase in violence in the West Bank, which has resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians and left a further 1,100 injured to date and furthered the forced displacement of Palestinian communities;

— emphasises the grave risks of a continued escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as in the wider region, and calls for immediate de-escalation, through regional and international diplomacy;

— in line with UN Security Council Resolutions, notes that that lasting peace can only be based on an enduring commitment to mutual recognition, freedom from violence, incitement, and terror, and the two-state solution; re-affirms the Government’s firm support for these principles; and calls on all members of Dáil Éireann to unambiguously commit to these principles;

— emphasises the vital need for continued and uninterrupted development and humanitarian aid to be provided to the Palestinian people, including through established channels with the Palestinian Authority;

— notes the statement of Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, rejecting the killing and abuse of civilians, and reiterating the commitment to a peaceful path towards Palestinian self-determination;

— expresses its deep concern at the rise in the circulation of disinformation and hate speech, in particular on social media, and reminds relevant companies of their legal obligations in this regard;

— emphasises the urgency of intensifying diplomatic efforts – bilaterally, through the European Union and the UN – to contribute to de-escalation; and recalls the moral and political obligation of all members of the international community to develop a pathway back towards a political horizon;

— affirms that building a just and sustainable peace, in any conflict, requires addressing poverty, inequality, injustice and all the root causes of violence, and meaningful accountability for breaches of international law, in the context of the Middle East Peace Process and in all contexts; and

— calls for decisive international action to formulate an effective roadmap and a negotiations process, operating within the framework of international law, which can deliver a lasting and just peace; and recalling the successive resolutions of the UN, expresses its conviction and commitment to achieving a two-state solution that meets Israeli and Palestinian security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, ends the occupation that began in 1967, and resolves all permanent status issues in order to end the conflict.

Debate resumed on amendment No. 2:

After "utterly condemns the hospital bombing that occurred last evening;" to insert the following:

"— unreservedly condemns Israel's brutal assault on the civilian population of Gaza which has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths including over 1,000 children to date in breach of international law;

— condemns the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israel to the south of Wadi Gaza Line in clear breach of international humanitarian law;

— condemns the cutting off of water, fuel, food and medical supplies and the destruction of civilian infrastructure throughout Gaza which amounts to collective punishment, in contravention of international humanitarian law;".

- (Deputy Mary Lou McDonald)

An Ceann Comhairle

I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Today, on the question, "That amendment No. 2 to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 60; Níl, 76; Staon, 0.

Tá

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Barry, Mick.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Carthy, Matt.
Clarke, Sorca.
Collins, Joan.
Collins, Michael.
Connolly, Catherine.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Daly, Pa.
Doherty, Pearse.
Donnelly, Paul.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Gannon, Gary.
Guirke, Johnny.
Harkin, Marian.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Gino.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McGrath, Mattie.
McNamara, Michael.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Pringle, Thomas.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Sherlock, Sean.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.
Wynne, Violet-Anne.

Níl

Berry, Cathal.
Bruton, Richard.
Burke, Colm.
Burke, Peter.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Cowen, Barry.
Creed, Michael.
Crowe, Cathal.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Grealish, Noel.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Lowry, Michael.
MacSharry, Marc.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McGrath, Michael.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donnell, Kieran.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Shanahan, Matt.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.
Varadkar, Leo.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Matt Carthy; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.

Amendment declared lost.

Deputy Matt Carthy

I move amendment No. 6:

After "utterly condemns the hospital bombing that occurred last evening;" to insert the following:

"— calls for full and unequivocal ceasefires by all involved;".

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 60; Níl, 76; Staon, 0.

Tá

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Barry, Mick.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Carthy, Matt.
Clarke, Sorca.
Collins, Joan.
Collins, Michael.
Connolly, Catherine.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Daly, Pa.
Doherty, Pearse.
Donnelly, Paul.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Gannon, Gary.
Guirke, Johnny.
Harkin, Marian.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Gino.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McGrath, Mattie.
McNamara, Michael.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Pringle, Thomas.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Sherlock, Sean.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.
Wynne, Violet-Anne.

Níl

Berry, Cathal.
Bruton, Richard.
Burke, Colm.
Burke, Peter.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Cowen, Barry.
Creed, Michael.
Crowe, Cathal.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Grealish, Noel.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Lowry, Michael.
MacSharry, Marc.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McGrath, Michael.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donnell, Kieran.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Shanahan, Matt.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.
Varadkar, Leo.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Matt Carthy; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.

Amendment declared lost.

Deputy Matt Carthy

I move amendment No. 7:

After "aspirations for statehood and sovereignty, ends the", to insert "illegal".

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 60; Níl, 76; Staon, 0.

Tá

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Barry, Mick.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Carthy, Matt.
Clarke, Sorca.
Collins, Joan.
Collins, Michael.
Connolly, Catherine.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Daly, Pa.
Doherty, Pearse.
Donnelly, Paul.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Gannon, Gary.
Guirke, Johnny.
Harkin, Marian.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Gino.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McGrath, Mattie.
McNamara, Michael.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Pringle, Thomas.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Sherlock, Sean.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.
Wynne, Violet-Anne.

Níl

Berry, Cathal.
Bruton, Richard.
Burke, Colm.
Burke, Peter.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Cowen, Barry.
Creed, Michael.
Crowe, Cathal.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Grealish, Noel.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Lowry, Michael.
MacSharry, Marc.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McGrath, Michael.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donnell, Kieran.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Shanahan, Matt.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.
Varadkar, Leo.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Matt Carthy; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.

Amendment declared lost.

Deputy Ivana Bacik

I move amendment No. 4:

After "bombing that occurred last evening" to insert "and calls for an independent investigation by the International Criminal Court";

To insert the following after "the appalling consequences of violence;":

"— unreservedly condemns the indiscriminate bombing of residential areas in Gaza by the Israeli Defence Forces; the collective punishment of civilians through the restriction of basic humanitarian supplies including food, water and electricity; the restrictions placed on entry and exit to Gaza; and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians;"; and

To insert the following after "reminds relevant companies of their legal obligations in this regard;":

"— condemns the actions of the President of the European Commission who offered unqualified support to Israel as it failed to conform with international law through its actions in Gaza;

— calls for the immediate recognition by Ireland of the State of Palestine, the removal of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the imposition of sanctions and proposals in line with those contained in the Occupied Territories Bill and the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill;".

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 60; Níl, 76; Staon, 0.

Tá

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Barry, Mick.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Carthy, Matt.
Clarke, Sorca.
Collins, Joan.
Collins, Michael.
Connolly, Catherine.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Daly, Pa.
Doherty, Pearse.
Donnelly, Paul.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Gannon, Gary.
Guirke, Johnny.
Harkin, Marian.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Gino.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McGrath, Mattie.
McNamara, Michael.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Pringle, Thomas.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Sherlock, Sean.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.
Wynne, Violet-Anne.

Níl

Berry, Cathal.
Bruton, Richard.
Burke, Colm.
Burke, Peter.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Cowen, Barry.
Creed, Michael.
Crowe, Cathal.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Grealish, Noel.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Lowry, Michael.
MacSharry, Marc.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McGrath, Michael.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donnell, Kieran.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Shanahan, Matt.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.
Varadkar, Leo.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Duncan Smith and Ivana Bacik; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.

Amendment declared lost.

Deputy Gary Gannon

I move amendment No. 5:

To insert the following after "calls for their immediate and unconditional release;":

"— condemns the tactics of the Israeli government – cutting off water, food, electricity and food supplies – which constitute collective punishment of an innocent and helpless civilian population; and condemns the relentless bombing of residential buildings in Gaza, which constitutes war crimes;".

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 56; Níl, 80; Staon, 0.

Tá

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Barry, Mick.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Carthy, Matt.
Clarke, Sorca.
Collins, Joan.
Connolly, Catherine.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Daly, Pa.
Doherty, Pearse.
Donnelly, Paul.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Gannon, Gary.
Guirke, Johnny.
Harkin, Marian.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Gino.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McNamara, Michael.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Pringle, Thomas.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Sherlock, Sean.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.
Wynne, Violet-Anne.

Níl

Berry, Cathal.
Bruton, Richard.
Burke, Colm.
Burke, Peter.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Michael.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Cowen, Barry.
Creed, Michael.
Crowe, Cathal.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Grealish, Noel.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Lowry, Michael.
MacSharry, Marc.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McGrath, Mattie.
McGrath, Michael.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donnell, Kieran.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Shanahan, Matt.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.
Varadkar, Leo.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Gary Gannon and Cian O'Callaghan; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.

Amendment declared lost.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

I move amendment No. 3:

To delete all the words after "That Dáil Éireann" and to substitute with the following:

"— expresses horror at the indiscriminate killing and targeting of civilians in the current terrible escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians;

— condemns as an atrocity and war crime the bombing of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza city which has claimed the lives of at least 500 innocent people and holds Israel wholly responsible for the atrocity;

— rejects any inference that Israel’s barbaric assault on Gaza, which has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, including disproportionate numbers of women and children, represents an act of "self-defence”;

— condemns Israel’s public declaration of its intention to commit the war crime of collectively punishing the entire population of Gaza by cutting off all food, water, fuel and preventing the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged area;

— condemns Israel’s public declaration of its intention to commit the war crime of ethnic cleansing (forcible transfer) of approximately one million Palestinians from Northern Gaza, under threat of relentless and on-going bombardment by the Israeli occupation forces;

— condemns the targeting by Israel in Gaza of multiple medical facilities, schools, residential areas and vital civilian infrastructure – targeting which carries with it the certainty of mass civilian casualties and threatens the entire Gaza population with a catastrophic humanitarian crisis;

— notes and condemns recent announcements by leading figures in the Israeli government that they intended to target the entire population of Gaza, including a recent press conference by the Israeli President, Issac Herzog, where he stated that the entire Gaza population were “responsible” for the 7th October attack on Israel;

— notes the frequent dehumanisation of the entire Palestinian population by leading government and military figures in Israel, likening Palestinians to animals, and further notes that such characterisations of Palestinians by Israel long pre-date the recent escalation of violence;

— notes that the health authorities in Gaza believe that as many as 1,200 people are trapped beneath the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli bombardment, and that because of the Israeli blockade, the Gazan authorities do not have the equipment they need to rescue those buried alive;

— notes in relation to the above and condemns the recent visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Israel where she offered unconditional and uncritical support to Israel at the same time that Israeli leaders were making public declarations about their intent to commit the war crimes against the entire Gaza population, and that she did so without mandate from the EU;

— notes that prior to the latest escalation of violence Gaza has been subject to a 17-year long siege by Israel, which according to the UN had already reduced the entire area to the state of a “permanent humanitarian crisis” – a siege which in itself represented a collective punishment and holding hostage of the entire Gaza population and therefore a war crime;

— notes that prior to the current escalation that 2023 represented the deadliest year for Palestinians in recent years with hundreds of Palestinians killed by the Israeli military;

— notes that prior to the current escalation Israel held over 5,000 Palestinian prisoners in captivity, most of them under the system of administrative detention without charges or trial and many of them children;

— notes the reports published over the last two years by multiple human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem and the UN Special Rapporteur to Palestine which accused Israel of decades of ongoing crimes against humanity perpetrated against Palestinians, particularly the crime of apartheid;

— notes the ongoing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, the ongoing illegal annexation of Palestinian territory, the ongoing efforts at the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from areas such as East Jerusalem, Hebron and multiple other locations and the recent escalation of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, actively supported by leading figures in the Israeli government;

— notes that under International law millions of Palestinian refugees ethnically cleansed from their homes, towns and villages since the Nakbah of 1948, living ever since in refugee camps in Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere, have the right to return to the homes, towns and villages from where they were forcibly expelled by Israel but that they are denied that right by the state of Israel;

— notes that Israel is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court and refuses its jurisdiction and as such refuses any accountability in terms of the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity or violations of international law;

— notes that despite the ongoing violations by Israel of international law, the US continues to give billions every year in military and financial aid to Israel, the EU continues to give favoured trade status to Israel and many EU states continue to do billions in military and arms trade with the state of Israel;

— notes that despites its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity and violations of international law, including the siege of Gaza, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, illegal occupation and annexation of territory, denial of the Palestinian right to return, arbitrary killing and many other violations, Israel has never been subject to any sanction by the EU or any international body;

— notes that under international law an occupied people have the right to resist their occupation by all means, including by force of arms; and

—- notes no provision of international law confers the right on any state to defend a regime of apartheid or a regime of systematic or ongoing oppression;

resolves:

— to publicly demand that Israel immediately ends the barbaric military assault on Gaza and that it removes all obstacles to the supply of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza;

— to call on the Government to expel the Israeli Ambassador from Ireland;

— to call publicly for Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and all other Israeli government and military officials responsible for the current military assault and siege of Gaza to be referred to the International Criminal Court for war crimes and violations of international law;

— to state publicly that a sustainable end to the conflict between Palestinians and Israel can only be achieved through the dismantling of the entire Israeli apartheid regime, the ending of the siege of Gaza, the ending of the occupation of all Palestinian territory, the dismantling of all illegal settlements and the vindication of the right to return of Palestinian refugees displaced since 1948;

— to announce the immediate withdrawal of support for Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission and to call for her resignation; and

— to urge support for public demonstrations and direct actions in solidarity with the people of Palestine in Ireland and across the world, including the boycott of Israeli goods, divestment from Israel and sanctions against Israel, strikes and trade union actions to prevent transfer of arms and dual use technologies to Israel, until all rights of the Palestinians are fully vindicated, and Palestinians enjoy freedom, justice and self-determination.".

Amendment put.

Deputies

Vótáil.

An Ceann Comhairle

Will the Deputies claiming a division please rise?

Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett, Mick Barry, Joan Collins, Catherine Connolly, Gino Kenny, Paul Murphy and Thomas Pringle rose.

An Ceann Comhairle

As fewer than ten Members have risen I declare the question lost. In accordance with Standing Order 82 the names of the Deputies dissenting will be recorded in the Journal of the Proceedings of the Dáil.

Amendment declared lost.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

I move amendment No. 1:

To insert the following after "systematically targeting civilians, and resulting in over 1,400 deaths;":

"— unreservedly condemns the disproportionate response and the contravention of international law by Israel;".

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 59; Níl, 76; Staon, 0.

Tá

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Barry, Mick.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Buckley, Pat.
Cairns, Holly.
Canney, Seán.
Carthy, Matt.
Clarke, Sorca.
Collins, Joan.
Collins, Michael.
Connolly, Catherine.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Daly, Pa.
Doherty, Pearse.
Donnelly, Paul.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Gannon, Gary.
Guirke, Johnny.
Harkin, Marian.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Howlin, Brendan.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Gino.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McGrath, Mattie.
McNamara, Michael.
Mitchell, Denise.
Munster, Imelda.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Pringle, Thomas.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Sherlock, Sean.
Shortall, Róisín.
Smith, Duncan.
Stanley, Brian.
Tully, Pauline.
Ward, Mark.
Whitmore, Jennifer.
Wynne, Violet-Anne.

Níl

Berry, Cathal.
Bruton, Richard.
Burke, Colm.
Burke, Peter.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Chambers, Jack.
Collins, Niall.
Costello, Patrick.
Cowen, Barry.
Creed, Michael.
Crowe, Cathal.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Grealish, Noel.
Griffin, Brendan.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Lowry, Michael.
MacSharry, Marc.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McGrath, Michael.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donnell, Kieran.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Phelan, John Paul.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Shanahan, Matt.
Smith, Brendan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.
Varadkar, Leo.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Joan Collins and Catherine Connolly; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.

Amendment declared lost.

Question put: "That the motion be agreed to."

The Dáil divided: Tá, 122; Níl, 14; Staon, 0.

Tá

Andrews, Chris.
Bacik, Ivana.
Berry, Cathal.
Brady, John.
Browne, Martin.
Bruton, Richard.
Buckley, Pat.
Burke, Colm.
Burke, Peter.
Butler, Mary.
Byrne, Thomas.
Cahill, Jackie.
Calleary, Dara.
Canney, Seán.
Cannon, Ciarán.
Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
Carthy, Matt.
Chambers, Jack.
Clarke, Sorca.
Collins, Michael.
Collins, Niall.
Conway-Walsh, Rose.
Costello, Patrick.
Cowen, Barry.
Creed, Michael.
Cronin, Réada.
Crowe, Cathal.
Crowe, Seán.
Cullinane, David.
Daly, Pa.
Devlin, Cormac.
Dillon, Alan.
Doherty, Pearse.
Donnelly, Paul.
Donnelly, Stephen.
Donohoe, Paschal.
Duffy, Francis Noel.
Durkan, Bernard J.
English, Damien.
Farrell, Alan.
Farrell, Mairéad.
Feighan, Frankie.
Flaherty, Joe.
Flanagan, Charles.
Fleming, Sean.
Foley, Norma.
Funchion, Kathleen.
Grealish, Noel.
Griffin, Brendan.
Guirke, Johnny.
Harkin, Marian.
Harris, Simon.
Haughey, Seán.
Healy-Rae, Danny.
Healy-Rae, Michael.
Heydon, Martin.
Higgins, Emer.
Howlin, Brendan.
Humphreys, Heather.
Kehoe, Paul.
Kelly, Alan.
Kenny, Martin.
Kerrane, Claire.
Lahart, John.
Lawless, James.
Leddin, Brian.
Lowry, Michael.
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
MacSharry, Marc.
Madigan, Josepha.
Martin, Catherine.
Martin, Micheál.
Matthews, Steven.
McAuliffe, Paul.
McConalogue, Charlie.
McDonald, Mary Lou.
McGrath, Mattie.
McGrath, Michael.
McNamara, Michael.
Mitchell, Denise.
Moynihan, Aindrias.
Moynihan, Michael.
Munster, Imelda.
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
Mythen, Johnny.
Nash, Ged.
Naughton, Hildegarde.
Noonan, Malcolm.
O'Brien, Joe.
O'Callaghan, Jim.
O'Dea, Willie.
O'Donnell, Kieran.
O'Donovan, Patrick.
O'Gorman, Roderic.
O'Reilly, Louise.
O'Rourke, Darren.
O'Sullivan, Christopher.
O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
Ó Broin, Eoin.
Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
Ó Cuív, Éamon.
Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
Phelan, John Paul.
Quinlivan, Maurice.
Rabbitte, Anne.
Richmond, Neale.
Ring, Michael.
Ryan, Eamon.
Shanahan, Matt.
Sherlock, Sean.
Smith, Brendan.
Smith, Duncan.
Smyth, Niamh.
Smyth, Ossian.
Stanley, Brian.
Stanton, David.
Troy, Robert.
Tully, Pauline.
Varadkar, Leo.
Ward, Mark.
Wynne, Violet-Anne.

Níl

Barry, Mick.
Boyd Barrett, Richard.
Cairns, Holly.
Collins, Joan.
Connolly, Catherine.
Fitzmaurice, Michael.
Gannon, Gary.
Kenny, Gino.
Murphy, Catherine.
Murphy, Paul.
O'Callaghan, Cian.
Pringle, Thomas.
Shortall, Róisín.
Whitmore, Jennifer.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Paul Murphy and Thomas Pringle.

Question declared carried.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 11.02 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Déardaoin, an 19 Deireadh Fómhair 2023.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.02 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Thursday, 19 October 2023.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Wednesday, 18 Oct 2023