How the Waterford TDs voted in the Sanctions Against Israel Bill
Conor McGuinness (left) and John Cummins (right) spoke to the News & Star about why they voted the way they did.
In line with the overall voting trend of the bill, Waterford’s two government ministers, Fianna Fáil’s Mary Butler and Fine Gael’s John Cummins, both voted against a proposed bill to impose sanctions on Israel in the Dáil last week. One of Waterford's opposition TDs Sinn Féin's Conor McGuinness voted in favour of the bill.
The bill had proposed to prohibit all trade investment, financial dealings and state-linked economic activity with Israel. It was first put forward last November by People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett.
The bill was voted against 77 to 62.
Sinn Féin TD for Waterford Conor McGuinness told the :
“What Israel is doing is morally reprehensible. They are engaging in genocide, in apartheid, in crimes against humanity, in land theft, in the destruction of homes, in the mass incarceration of civilians. They are doing so with apparent impunity where not one material sanction has been applied to Israel by Ireland, by the European Union. We have this horrific situation whereby the European Union still gives Israel preferential trade agreements.” “The United Nations has said the occupation of the West Bank is irrefutably illegal yet the government has still not legislated for an occupied territories bill.”
He continued, “When a bill was put forward to implement sanctions, the government once again voted it down.”
He said, “We’re in a situation where there is a lot of rhetoric coming from the Irish government but they have taken absolutely no concrete or tangible steps to hold Israel to account.”
McGuinness also explained that other EU countries have already imposed economic sanctions on Israel. Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez announced last September that Spain would prohibit imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
In a statement to the about why he voted against the bill, Minister Cummins said: “We have been clear that our preference is for collective action to be taken at EU level.”
He continued: “Last week, EU Member States reached political agreement to sanction Israeli extremist settlers and entities and those that enable them. This is an important and overdue step forward, one that the Government has repeatedly called for.”
Minister Cummins also said that Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said that she will bring forward the Occupied Territories Bill in the coming weeks. He said, "This means the Government will enact this separate to and in parallel with what is happening at a European level."
Government Chief Whip and Portlaw TD Mary Butler did respond to a request for comment.
