Ireland has a legal obligation under the Genocide Convention to do everything we can to stop genocide, according to Social Democrats Foreign Affairs spokesperson Patricia Stephenson.<\/p>\n
Senator Stephenson said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is shameful that the government is hiding behind vague legal advice when it comes to preventing the Central Bank from facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Office of Parliamentary Legal Advice (OPLA) has confirmed a Bill, which would prevent this happening, is consistent with domestic, EU and international law.<\/p>\n
\u201cYet despite this, the government has refused to act – effectively throwing its hands up and saying it can do nothing about it. This is not good enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis week, the T\u00e1naiste said the public had heard enough fine words on Gaza and what they wanted to see now was strong action. I completely agree – but why is the government refusing to follow through on this rhetoric?<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of action, what we are witnessing is inaction and stasis. We have seen this not just in relation to this Bill, but in the footdragging and delay that has become synonymous with the Occupied Territories Bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland has been a strong voice in defence of Gaza, but words alone are not sufficient. What is needed now is action and sanctions – before Gaza and its people are completely annihilated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t just have a moral obligation to do this, we have a legal obligation – under the Genocide Convention and in line with the recent decision of the International Court of Justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a matter of urgency, the Central Bank\u2019s facilitation of the sale of Israeli war bonds must be banned; the Occupied Territories Bill, including services, must be passed; and Ireland must continue to advocate for the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 29th, 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ireland has a legal obligation under the Genocide Convention to do everything we can to stop genocide, according to Social Democrats Foreign Affairs spokesperson Patricia Stephenson. Senator Stephenson said: \u201cIt is shameful that the government is hiding behind vague legal advice when it comes to preventing the Central Bank from facilitating the sale of Israeli […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[529,641,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaza","category-patricia-stephenson","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n