Declan Kearney, National Chairman of Irish Sinn Féin, spoke at an international conference on the blockade of Gaza today, Monday, November 28, 2022, about the international stance towards the blockade imposed on the city, as well as about the Irish role towards the Palestinian cause.
Kearney said the suffering of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation has been documented by international institutions such as B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations.
They all found that the Israeli occupation of Palestine and its practice against the Palestinians is a crime against humanity and that this occupation is an apartheid system.
He stressed that the occupation is trying to isolate Gaza from the rest of the Palestinian cities, which violates international laws, the Geneva Convention, and the laws of the United Nations.
Kearney added that the blockade imposed 16 years ago on the Gaza Strip is a humanitarian catastrophe, as it deprives Palestinians of access to continuous energy and clean water, which affected Palestinians of all groups in all aspects of life.
He stressed that the repercussions of this suffocating siege on the Gaza Strip on the psychological, economic, and social side will continue for generations, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza will become worse.
Kearney also pointed out that while Ireland was able to achieve peace for the current generation and future generations, the Palestinians were unable to live in peace, as the Israeli occupation practices a system of separation and systematic racial discrimination against them.
He stressed that the experience of the Palestinians under the system of apartheid and discrimination is more difficult than that in South Africa, as the Israeli occupation continuously violates all international humanitarian laws and principles.
Kearney denounced the occupation practices against the Palestinians and stressed the need for the international community to move to support the Palestinian people and stop the occupation’s crimes against them.
He stressed that his national Sinn Féin party, which is the largest party in Ireland, clearly supports the rights of the Palestinian people.
He said that they called on the current Irish government to use its position in the UN Security Council to stop Israeli settlement construction and ensure Palestinian independence.
Kearney stressed the importance of Palestinian national unity in strengthening the Palestinian side and creating balance in the region and pressuring the international community to move to end the apartheid Israeli occupation.
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