Oration by Republican Sinn Féin National PRO Geraldine Mcnamara at protest in support of Palestine, Tipperary Town, Saturday 26th July.

I would like to thank you all for allowing me to speak on what is happening in Gaza Palestine today and unfortunately every day.

Every day since July 8th Israel has bombed indiscriminately and shot indiscriminately men, women and children in the Gaza strip, over 800 people have been killed and thousands injured and maimed.

This is not a result of the wrongful killing of three Jewish teenagers two weeks ago, their deaths were the excuse Israel needed for the latest reign of terror on their Palestinian neighbours. If the rule of law had prevailed the Israeli’s would have conducted a murder inquiry into these deaths and not use them to target and kill over 800 innocent civilians of a certain race and religion. This is genocide.

The people of the occupied territories of Gaza have been bombed and shot and oppressed for over sixty years and we in Ireland while we are aghast each time a new wave of oppression is inflicted on the Palestinian people by Israel, we somehow think that when there is a ceasefire that everything is alright and the people are somehow living a normal life again. This is not true. The Palestinians suffer continual oppression on a daily basis. They have their electricity and water supplies cut on a daily basis, they cannot leave their own country without going through checkpoints and queuing for hours at these Israeli checkpoints.

Since July 8th hundreds of women and children have been killed in this latest round of terror on Palestine, an average of one child an hour has died, how are they Hamas soldiers?
There were 15 children killed at a UN school on Thursday despite the UN pleading for time to evacuate the children. Last night 18 members of one family were murdered.
Just a point of information Hamas has been the legally appointed representatives of the Palestinians in Gaza since 1994 they govern Gaza on a daily basis and it is their duty to protect its citizens.

The United Nations still considers Gaza an occupied territory, that means they have never fully recognised Palestine as a legitimate state, the state of Israel was set up and recognised in 1948 and if they had recognised Palestine then we would not have Israel continually annexing Palestinian territory.

In 1994, Israel granted the right of self-governance to Gaza through the Palestinian Authority. Prior to this, Gaza had been subject to military occupation, most recently by Israel (1967–94) and by Egypt (1958–67), and earlier by Syria when Gaza had been part of the Ottoman Empire. Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been de-facto governed by Hamas, a Palestinian group claiming to be the representatives of the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian people. In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly “accorded Palestine non-Member Observer State status in the United Nations”.[2] Gaza forms a part of the Palestinian territory defined in the Oslo Agreements and UNSC Resolution 1860.[3]
The state of Israel didn’t exist until 1948 when the United nations under pressure as to what to do with the European Jews who were stateless after WW2 decided to implement the Balfour agreement of 1917

This agreement was created by Lord Balfour on behalf of the British with no consultation or consideration to the native people of Palestine, both Muslim and Jewish who had lived together in peace for centuries.

The Balfour Declaration (it its entirety) says
Foreign Office
November 2nd, 1917

Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours sincerely,

Arthur James Balfour

Even Lord Balfour recognised the area as Palestine but he did not take into account the views of the native people, why should he, when did Britain take into account the rights of native people when colonising their countries to suit Britain’s needs. The answer is never.
We talk about the injustices to the native American Indian as they were known, we talk about the injustices to the aboriginal people in Australia, we talk about how terrible apartheid was in south Africa, yet in 2014 we still have the annihilation of the Palestinian people in order to expand the ever increasing Israeli state by mainly US and European settlers.

The united nations has said on numerous occasions that Israel is in breach of resolutions and the building of new settlements in Palestine by Israel are illegal and against any previous peace agreements there, but Israel continues to bulldoze land and build new settlements. Israel is a member of the United Nations which has given recognition to the rights of Palestine but Israel continues to break all international laws including the Geneva Convention. Israel is guilty of war crimes and should be brought to justice for this.
We can talk all day about the terrible atrocities, the injured, the slain, the displaced, but we cannot help unless we take action, we must boycott Israeli products and ask our shops to stop putting them on the shelves, we must tell our politicians to act and sanction Israel. We have to be heard so the children of Palestinian will no longer have to wake to sirens and bombing and wonder when it is going to be their little bodies that are wrapped in white cloths and placed in mass graves.

If the barcode starts with the numbers 729 it is a product of Israel please don’t buy it, that one action can change the policies and protect human life.

I am not anti Jewish I am anti Zionist and I am anti Israeli government policies which slaughter men women and children because they are Muslim. Many Jewish people have also spoken out against Israel. Please listen and let your voice be heard also and boycott 729 barcode.

Thank you

Ranganna:International News