00:00As we all know, today marks the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, which was the forced removal of almost a million Palestinians in 1948.
00:11And unfortunately, the Nakba isn't a single event.
00:14It is a continuing event because Israel's project is to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and from the West Bank.
00:24And what we're seeing today, what we're witnessing today is the Nakba.
00:28And we have an emergency situation, as everybody knows, of more than 50,000 people slaughtered, tens of thousands of children slaughtered.
00:40But now, in addition to the military attack that Israel is conducting, there is a real threat of starvation.
00:49I'm sure people heard this week the World Health Organization issue their warning about the lack of food and how that's impacting.
00:58People, particularly children, in Gaza.
01:02And it's obviously harrowing.
01:04It's obviously disgusting.
01:05I think the world has demanded over and over again that this be stopped.
01:09It hasn't.
01:11And I think we should obviously commemorate the Nakba.
01:15But we need to continue to look for every action possible to do what we can to stop it.
01:20So, I sent Paula a proposal that I would like the committee to pass today.
01:26The United Nations Special Rapporteur on food, access to food, which is considered a global human right, has called on the Irish government to take a proposal to the United Nations General Assembly.
01:42For the United Nations to send a peacekeeping force to Gaza to ensure that the citizens of Gaza can access food.
01:52Because right now, as we know, Israel is blocking the entry of food.
01:56They have a blockade up right across the Gaza Strip.
02:00And the reason why the UN Special Rapporteur has proposed this to Ireland, he says, look, Ireland is familiar with famine, the great hunger here, killed a million people, forced another million people to leave, seeking refuge all around the world.
02:16And that Ireland understands this.
02:19So, he is appealing to the Irish government to bring this proposal to the General Assembly.
02:25If a majority in the General Assembly vote for it, it circumvents the Security Council.
02:34So, in the interest of backing and trying to do anything and everything possible to stop the genocide, to stop the starvation of the population of Ireland,
02:45I think we should call on the Irish government to do this.
02:51This is something the Irish government can do.
02:54They can bring a proposal to the General Assembly calling for peacekeepers to go to Gaza.
03:00And I think given the state of things right now, why not try this?
03:04So, I would hope that we would be able to support this proposal today and for that message to go out, that there is a way for the Irish government to take urgent action.
03:16And this is possibly one of those routes.
03:19Thank you, Chair.
03:19I'm happy to second the proposal, if it's needed, and I just wanted to come on and say thank you to Councillor Murphy, too, for suggesting the man at silence.
03:35I think it's really appropriate.
03:36And thanks to everyone in the Chamber who took part in it as well.
03:40I'm not going to go over everything that Sean has just said and what Pat said before as well.
03:45I think we all know that we're in a genocide here and there's no words to describe it anymore.
03:50And starving people on purpose, it's not a famine, it's starvation.
03:55It's just unspeakable.
03:57So, I think Sean's right.
03:59Anything we can do, and that's what we keep trying to do from our Council.
04:02We've been really strong on this across the board.
04:04And I think that anything we can be doing at all, every small or bag, we need to be doing.
04:09So, right in the Irish, asking for the special report to send the call is really, really important.
04:17And I think it's just something practical.
04:19So, I'm happy to second it.
04:22Thank you, Councillor McDade.
04:24Are we all content?
04:27Councillor Duffy, do you want to speak?
04:29I was waiting to say Pat was coming back in, but I don't see him there in the chat box.
04:33As a party, we're content to support that.
04:36I do think it's a practical proposal of something that we can practically do on the ground.
04:42So, you know, the more voices that we raise around this horrible genocide that is just getting worse, the better.
04:52So, no, we're content to support that.
04:56Thank you, Councillor Duffy.
04:58Are we all content to support online?
05:01Yes.
05:03Chair, if I were a member of committee, I would be abstaining.
05:09I'm not a member of committee, so it doesn't matter.
05:12Chair, I'll also abstain.
05:14All right.
05:15Elder Mimic Morris is abstaining.
05:17Anybody else online?
05:22All right.
05:24Sorry, I was trying to get the wee button on there.
05:27I'd like to abstain, please.
05:28Okay.
05:32All right.
05:33Everybody else for?
05:36That's great, Councillor Farrell.
05:37Thank you for that.
05:38Chair.
05:39That's great.
05:40Thank you, Caroline.
05:41We'll just throw it up on the screen here just to make sure everyone's content.
05:44All right.
05:44All right.
05:58Is everyone content?
06:16We have a proposer and seconder, but we're all content with that.
06:24Do you need another wee minute, Aldermen, I'll say, yeah, go on ahead.
06:36Yeah, Chair, um, Councillor Devine did mention the short-term, uh, necessity, you know, that, that is there as well.
06:41Uh, does she intend to include that in, in the motion, I'm not a member of committee, I'm just, like Caroline, I'm in the same boat.
06:52Caroline, is that something you want to add on?
06:54I'm happy to do that.
06:55If, if that, if it's, it leads to through formally like that as well, just for the paper to be brought back.
07:01Um, so, do you want to tell us what you need amended on it then, Caroline?
07:10Just put the amendment and then that, um, ring a paperback on the short and medium term options.
07:18Yeah, happy enough for that.
07:20Thank you, Councillor Boggs.
07:23Councillor Boggs, will you pop up to Paula?
08:01All right, are we all content then?
08:13Perfect.
08:14Okey-doke.
08:16Rightio, we'll move on in next.
08:17So my last is Councillor Murphy.
08:20Are you there?
08:24Yes, thank you, Chair.
08:25Thank you for letting me speak today to the committee.
08:29Today marks the 77th anniversary of the Nekba, the catastrophic forced displacement of almost 750,000 Palestinian citizens from their homes,
08:39essentially ethnically cleansed by a Zionist militia in order to establish the State of Israel.
08:44The Nekba was not a singular event and signaled the beginning of decades of brutality, apartheid, repression, and Palestinian citizens have been denied their fundamental human rights and their dignity for generations.
08:59And this has culminated in the genocide that we see daily unfolding before our eyes.
09:03Yes, this genocide is being televised.
09:07Just today, almost 100 Palestinians have died as the missiles continue to rain down from the skies.
09:13Of course, the Israeli perpetrators of this brutal slaughter must at some stage in the future be held to account.
09:19But today, I think that it is appropriate that we acknowledge and bear witness to the inhumanity that has been perpetrated on the citizens of Palestine by the Israeli government and its army.
09:30I know that I'm not a member of this committee, so I would respectfully ask that the chair of the committee will consider holding a minute of silence and reflection to remember the men, women, and children who have perished at the hands of the Israeli government and its army over many decades, and particularly now.
09:47Thank you, thank you again for letting me speak.
09:52Chair, if that needs a formal proposal from here, I'm happy to make it.
09:58Perfect.
09:58So, proposed by Councillor Offisek and Councillor Boggs, and thank you very much for bringing that forward.
10:05Councillor Murphy, are we all content?
10:09All right.
10:10Yeah, so we'll start our minutes here now.
10:47All right.
11:14Thank you again, Councillor Murphy, for bringing that forward.
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