The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has welcomed the Dublin City Council’s unanimous passing of a motion calling for an end to both the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, in which over 200 Palestinians have been killed, in addition to the continuing Israeli-imposed illegal siege on the region. The motion, according to the PNN, calls upon the Irish government to push for an arms embargo and trade sanctions on Israel. The motion also condemned the use of Administrative Detention, a form of internment without charge or trial, imposed by the Israeli state.
IPSC Chairperson Martin O’Quigley welcomed the resolution:
‘This motion is timely and necessary. As Israeli unleashes its third attack on the captive population of 1.8 million Palestinian people in Gaza in under six years, once again committing gross violations of international law, it continues to evade sanction. Motions such as this one, which listen to the call from Palestinian civil society for sanctions on the Israeli state, are to be welcomed and celebrated. The international impunity gifted to Israel emboldens that state to continue carrying out atrocities. By calling specifically for Israel’s suspension from the Euro-Med agreement which grants it trading privileges with Europe, and for an arms embargo, Dublin City Council has taken a very welcome step towards helping end that impunity.’
He concluded by noting that ‘what is particularly important about this motion is that it mandates city councillors to follow up with the Irish government in relation to its demands. The IPSC congratulates Dublin City Council for unanimously adopting this principled position with regard to ongoing Israeli crimes and human rights abuses, and in particular thanks Councillor Tina McVeigh for moving the motion.’
PNN further reports that Councillor McVeigh, who tabled the motion, said:
‘Israel’s acts of mass violence against the Palestinian people are always the subject of great public and moral outrage, condemned by many democratically elected institutions, however, Israel is never held to account. This motion is important as it condemns Israel’s perpetual use of illegal activities such as Administrative Detention and collective punishment, while calling on the Irish government to take concrete action. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, including in Ireland, have taken to the streets demanding an end to the reign of terror, the siege and for sanctions to be imposed on Israel.’
Full text of the motion at the Palestinian News Network.
