Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, John Brady TD, has condemned the continuing campaign of death by Israeli forces under its military ‘Break the Wave’ campaign.

The campaign in the last year has left approximately 200 Palestinians dead, including 30 children, along with a further 9,000 Palestinians injured.

Nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman being killed today during an Israeli raid in Jenin. A children’s ward of a local hospital was also hit by Israeli tear gas.

The UN has described 2022 as the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2006, with 29 Palestinians killed including five children, 2023 is set to be even worse.

The Israeli military attacks come less than a week after 100,000 Israeli citizens marched in protest against attempts by the new right-wing government led by Benjamin Netanyahu to undermine democratic checks and balances in Israel. 

Teachta Brady:

“After a year of military attrition against the Palestinian people under the military ‘Break the Wave’ campaign, which has witnessed the deaths of approximately 200 Palestinians, including dozens of children.

“A further 9,000 Palestinians have been injured during the year long Israeli military onslaught against the Palestinian people. Nine Palestinians were killed today by the Israeli military in a city which they illegally occupy.

“The Israeli campaign of oppression has focussed on Jenin and Nablus, where alongside the official military campaign of terror, illegal Israeli settlers have also carried out attacks on Palestinian families, which the Israeli military does nothing to stop.

“The appointment of a number of extreme right-wing officials within the new Israeli government clearly spells out the intent of the current government to continue to seize Palestinian territory.

“Bezalel Smotrich, appointed head of the Israeli army body responsible for administering the West Bank, has openly encouraged violence against Palestinians. 

“Smotrich oversees the system which excludes Palestinians from securing permits to build dwellings in Area C in the West Bank. This system is designed to prevent Palestinians from obtaining permits to build on their own land – illegally occupied by the Israeli military, and then tear down their homes, and evicts them from their own land.

“Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right extremist minister for national security, has described the flying of the Palestinian flag as an act of terrorism, ordering police to remove all flags. Ben-Gvir is intent on a campaign to eliminate Palestinian expressions of identity and free speech.

“The international community cannot continue to stand idly by and offer nothing but platitude in the face of what is being inflicted upon the Palestinian people by Israeli authorities, as they continue to flout international law on a daily basis.

“The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mícheal Martin must ensure that the voice of Ireland is at the forefront of global discourse, and in particular within the EU in demanding that action be taken to halt Israel’s continuing onslaught against the Palestinian people.”