Israel must be isolated from international community, says Smith

Labour’s foreign affairs spokesperson Duncan Smith has said that the UN Commission of Inquiry confirming the genocide in Gaza must be a moment for the United States, the European Union and the wider world to act now to end the violence in Gaza.

The Dublin Fingal East TD said “words fail us all when we learn of the atrocities committed in Palestine by Israel on a daily basis. The UN’s Commission of Inquiry published today is timely, but it must lead to the international community stepping up and intervening immediately.”

Smith echoed the word of President Michael D Higgins, who called on the world to “end the man-made genocide in Gaza.”

Smith said “as we approach the second anniversary of the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th 2023, it is beyond time that the EU and the US step up to end the genocide.”

“Every week across communities nationwide, the Irish people have shown their support of the people of Palestine and the Irish Government, to its credit, has shown its commitment to working at an international level to raise awareness of the voices of people at home. However, we must go further. We cannot stand by as some EU member states stay silent.”

Smith said that the government must be “unequivocal” in making the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025 a legislative priority this autumn, and that services from Israel must be added to the long-delayed legislation..

“Israel must be isolated by the international community – culturally, in sport, through trade and in academia. Every global forum matters, whether it is football, universities, or the Eurovision. We need to see action now,” he said.