Responding to reports that once again, Israel is using military force to stop solidarity activistsfrom delivering aid to the occupied Gaza Strip, Stephen Bowen, Executive Director AmnestyInternational Ireland, said:
“The Flotilla’s mission is a powerful symbol of solidarity, but it is also an indictment of both Ireland’s and the international community’s abject failure to end Israel’s ongoing atrocitycrimes against Palestinians, including genocide, apartheid, and unlawful occupation.”
“It should not fall to ordinary people like President Catherine Connolly’s sister, Dr MargaretConnolly, to get humanitarian aid to the starving Palestinians in Gaza, or break Israel’s illegalblockade.”
“Decades of impunity continue to embolden Israel, and encourage Israel to brazenlycontinue its attacks on the flotilla, and its campaign of death, destruction and devastation inGaza.”
“As Amnesty International has long argued, we are not powerless here in Ireland, but theGovernment needs to change course and to act now, and to act unilaterally if necessary.”
“As Israel’s atrocity crimes not only continue, but continue to escalate, we here in Europe arestill granting Netanyahu’s genocidal Israel with special privileges under the EU AssociationAgreement. At a minimum, Ireland should have long ago begun acting unilaterally, as if itwere suspended, or have sued to have it voided. When we don’t even use the tools we dohave at our disposal, words become the empty rhetoric of appeasement.”