“No weapons through Ireland for genocide” demand People Before Profit.

“Limerick should become a beacon against apartheid” says PBP rep Ruairí Fahy

This week, People Before Profit will put forward a motion to block US warplanes passing through Shannon Airport, for Ireland to fully endorse Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and for targeted sanctions to be placed on Benjamin Netanyahu and all Israeli government Ministers, ambassadors, officials and military personnel who promote or support seizure of Palestinian land, ethnic cleansing and unlawful killing of Palestinians and assist Israel’s apartheid system.

“Ireland is a neutral state and should not be made complicit in US and Israeli war crimes by having warplanes passing through our airports.”

according to a press release by the party.

The motion references a 2021 Human Rights Watch report which states that the international community “actively supported Israel's violations by supplying it with the arms, equipment and other tools to perpetrate crimes under international law and by providing diplomatic cover, including at the United Nations Security Council to shield it from accountability”

Last Wednesday the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party opposed a motion by Sinn Féin to refer Israel to the international Criminal Court to investigate war crimes carried out in Gaza. They also opposed a motion by the Social Democrats to place sanctions on Israel and to expel the Israeli ambassador.

Last weekend the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign estimated that over 50,000 people marched in support of Palestine in Dublin and joined in the call for greater action by the Irish government to pressure Israel to end its bombardment and invasion of Gaza which has left over 12,500, including 5,000 children, dead in just over a month. Israel’s assault has also left northern Gaza with almost no functioning infrastructure following large scale bombing of hospitals, ambulances and communications infrastructure as well as placing limits on aid and fuel entering Gaza.

Weekly protests, marches, vigils and demonstrations have taken place in Limerick over the past month with hundreds consistently in attendance.

Hundreds also attended the monthly vigil organised by Shannonwatch who monitor the use of Shannon airport for refuelling military aircraft and possible breaches of our neutrality for facilitating the transfer of soldiers and munitions through Shannon Airport.

People Before Profit representative for Limerick City North, Ruairí Fahy, has called for the use of Shannon Airport for the transfer of munitions to be halted, saying “the use of Shannon Airport for the transfer of US munitions provides material support for Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. Government ministers have used well practised phrases for years to make it appear that weapons are not transferred through Shannon Airport but they don’t conduct inspections on planes that are given permission to land here and they rarely refuse permission for these flights, with only a single flight refused permission to land this year out of nearly 250 requests.

“Israel has been bombing hospitals, homes and holy sites—all war crimes—using weapons from the United States and the EU. An arms embargo, including on dual use technologies, must be placed on Israel to force them to end their slaughter.

“Israel must be sanctioned. Israel must be isolated. The system of oppression and apartheid must be dismantled, as was the case with apartheid South Africa. Limerick should become a beacon against apartheid and implement boycotts and divestment from Israel and from companies that support the system of apartheid. As Israel murders nearly 200 children a day we can’t just say we want a ceasefire, we need to make it too expensive for Israel to continue its genocide.”