The Government will not be supporting a cross-party motion demanding the Central Bank end the facilitation of Israeli war bonds and will instead table its own counter motion.
Four opposition parties have come together to back the motion and have called on Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to provide the Government TDs with a free vote when it comes before the Dáil on Wednesday.
The Social Democrats, Sinn Féin, Labour and People Before Profit-Solidarity have united behind the motion that demands that the Government enact emergency legislation to explicitly force the Central Bank to stop facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds.
It also calls on the coalition to advise the bank that “by acting as the enabling cog in Israel’s fundraising machine in the European Union it is putting the state at risk of a charge of complicity in genocide”.
The motion stresses that since October 2023 the bonds have been advertised as war bonds with the slogan “stand with Israel – Israel is at war”. The website marketing the bonds contains a video by Israeli President Isaac Herzog who lauds “the crucial role of Israel bonds during this time of conflict and war”.
Last month, a similar Sinn Féin bill which sought to stop the Central Bank facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds was defeated after the Government voted against the draft legislation.
Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe said the gap between the vote on the Sinn Féin Bill and this motion has given TDs “time to reflect”.
Mr Crowe asked:
Calling on the Government leaders to allow backbench TDs a vote of conscience, Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney said: “We have failed as an international community to prevent a genocide from happening so now we have to do everything in our power to make sure that we stop it.”
She added: “We are urging the Government to allow a free vote, a vote of conscience, because we believe that this is something that many TDs will support if given the opportunity.
“And we absolutely urge the Government to support this motion.”
Labour TD Duncan Smith said adopting the motion would send a “clear signal” that Ireland is “morally and ethically” against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and that “Irish people do not stand for the selling of Israeli war bonds”.
Meanwhile, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris has made an urgent call to end the blockade and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“Ireland has consistently called on Israel to lift its blockade and allow unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza, in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles,” Mr Harris said in a statement.
“The UN and humanitarian organisations must be allowed to work independently and do their job. It is a shame on the world and international community that people are starving in Gaza.”
Praising activists aboard the Madleen, which was blocked by Israeli forces on route to Gaza, Mr Harris said: “The question we should be asking today is not a debate about the merits or not of the flotilla but how it has come to this; that the world is turning a blind eye to starving children in Gaza.”