Both Micheál Martin and Simon Harris have now stated in Dáil Éireann that Israel is committing genocide in Palestine.
The Bloody Sunday Trust has responded by saying that the significance of this statement cannot be ignored.
Tony Doherty, Chair of the Trust said,
The unequivocal acceptance at the highest level within the Irish government that Israel is guilty of genocide requires it to fully discharge its obligations under Article 1 of the Genocide Convention which states that-
The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.
Martin and Harris cannot now continue rely on displays of performative virtue and symbolic gestures like recognising the state of Palestine while –
- Facilitating the sale of Israeli government bonds
- Delaying and diluting the Occupied Territories Bill
- Allowing Israeli munitions to illegally travel through Irish airspace
Every day that the Dublin government maintains these positions in the full knowledge that genocide is taking place in Palestine is a day that deepens its own complicity and highlights its failure to implement international law and meet its obligations under the Genocide Convention.
