Words Are Cheap - Palestinian Vote Must Be Followed By BDS Action
Éirígí spokesperson Breandán Mac Cionnaith has called on the Twenty-Six County political establishment to follow their recent strong words on Palestine with strong action. He was speaking after the adoption of a Leinster House motion on Wednesday (May 26) declaring that the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank amounted to the de facto annexation of Palestinian lands.
Breandán Mac Cionnaith addressing a Palestinian solidarity rally in Newry today (May 29, 2021).
The Sinn Féín motion received cross-party support from both government and opposition parties. Speaking from Newry today, Mac Cionnaith said, “The adoption of the Palestinian motion last Wednesday is a welcome step on the road to delegitimizing the Israeli apartheid state. The fact that an EU state is calling Israel out in this way has huge political and symbolic importance.
Éirígí activists on the march to the Israeli Embassy in Dublin
The Israeli state operates an apartheid system, similar to that which operates in South Africa until the early 1990s. Many Palestinians have been murdered and maimed by Israel while the international community has remained largely silent.
This silence not only allows Israel to continue its attacks of the Palestinian people, but actively encourages them to do so. From the Israeli perspective, silence equals consent. The Leinster House vote represented an important breaking of that silence that might now hopefully be followed in other countries.
Éirígí activists at vigil for Palestine in Dublin’s North Inner City.
In acknowledging the symbolic importance of the Leinster House vote, we must also acknowledge the repeated refusal of successive governments to back Frances Black’s ‘Occupied Territories Bill’. Words are cheap. Last Wednesday’s vote must now be followed by meaningful action - by Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions against Israel.
Éirígí Gaillimh activists at a vigil for the Palestinian people.
If the political establishment is serious about taking a stand against Israeli they need to immediately cut all links to apartheid Israel; to withdraw the IDA from Israel; to end Garda cooperation with Israeli ‘security’ forces; to expel the Israeli ambassador and embassy; to impose economic, cultural and political sanctions against Israel. These are the sort of measures that were taken against apartheid South Africa and they helped bring about an end to that hateful regime.
For our part, we in Éirígí will continue to stand with the Palestinian people as we have done for the last fifteen years. As internationalists we recognise that their struggle against US backed Israeli aggression is at one with our own struggle against British aggression in our own country. Their struggle is ours and ours is theirs.”
Éirígí sticker in Cork City on the banks of the River Lee calling for solidarity with Palestine.