INDEPENDENT councillor Ursula Gavan has called on the local authority to fly the Palestinian flag outside its offices on Merchants Quay as an act of solidarity with the people of Gaza.
The City East representative also proposed, at this Monday’s monthly full meeting of its 40 members, that Limerick City and County Council urge the government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill as a matter of urgency.
Cllr Gavan claims an International Court of Justice ruling gives Ireland obligations not to do anything that would support the illegal occupation of Palestine “as this trade, the products or services we’re talking about, are the proceeds of crime”.
The Independent councillor also took the view that what is happening in Gaza is a “reproductive genocide targeting women and children, to wipe out the Palestinian people for the future”.
“It is easy to be neutral in times of peace, but I am calling on the government to stand firm in its commitment, and be a beacon of hope for the 2.2 million Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes and whose very existence is under threat. The world is currently in a state of flux geo-politically and we need a voice to say ‘Stop, you cannot act with impunity’,” she declared.
Cllr Gavan went on to say that the mechanisms for the Occupied Territories Bill are justified but require “political will”. She claimed that, since getting back into government, this is something Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael seem to be reneging on.
“History will never forgive any government that fails to act to counter the genocide that continues to unfold before our eyes. Every elected councillor here in Limerick has a part to play by holding this government to account and calling them to immediately pass the Occupied Territories Bill,” she said.
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan seconded Cllr Gavan’s motion, and urged the Council to fly the Palestinian flag at their Merchants Quay offices in an act of solidarity.
Sinn Fein councillor Sharon Benson also showed her support for the proposal, and took the view that the government is “kicking the can down the road” with regards to the Occupied Territories Bill. She also pointed out that former Labour councillor, Deputy Conor Sheehan, last year had a motion, which was passed, for a Palestinian flag to be erected at City Hall.
Independent councillor Maria Donoghue also added her support to the proposals, saying: “History will look back on this period and we don’t want to be seen as heartless because it is a televised holocaust, no matter what way we phrase it politically. It is shocking.”
Fine Gael councillor Peter Doyle said he condemned all violence, adding: “I condemn Hamas who started this war, who slaughtered 1,200 people in 24 hours. I think we should condemn all violence and all murder.”
