Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, John Brady TD, has described reports today emanating from Palestine, that Palestinian families are being left homeless in order to make way for Israeli military exercises, as “outrageous”.
 
Teachta Brady said:
 
“We have an outrageous situation where ten Palestinian families have been turfed out of their homes in the al-Burj and al-Maita areas of the Jordan Valley, in order to make way for Israeli military training operations in the area.
 
“Sixty Palestinians will be left in the open air, in the middle of winter, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. This is an outrage.
 
“Human rights groups in Israel clearly identify this as part of a long-standing strategy by Israeli authorities to clear Palestinian families from the region.
 
“I call upon the Irish government and the EU to lodge the strongest possible objections to the repressive behaviour of the Israeli security forces.
 
“We are repeatedly witnessing instances where the de facto annexation of Palestinian lands is taking place under a myriad of reasoning.

“The international community must act as decisively in Palestine to protect innocent civilians as they have done in Belarus and other countries.”