Sinn Féin Call for International Pressure to End Israeli Aggression Against Palestinians in Occupied West Bank

The illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank began in 1967 when Israeli forces captured and occupied the territory, including East Jerusalem. Since then Israel, in contravention of international law, has established numerous Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank. The United Nations Security Council has been categorical in stating that settlements in that territory are a "flagrant violation of international law". The creation and ongoing expansion of the settlements have led to Israel's policies being criticized as an example of settler colonialism.

Since that time increasing number of settler attacks upon Palestinians has taken place. Between 2010 and 2019, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded at least 2,955 settler attacks, in which at least 22 Palestinians were killed, and at least 1,258 others were injured. The governorates of Nablus, Hebron and Ramallah had the highest number of incidents. According to Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din, which has been tracking settler violence since 2005, just seven percent of settler attacks have led to criminal charges with only three percent of investigations leading to a conviction. Many have pointed to recorded video evidence showing that the attacks often take place under the protection or sometimes in coordination with the Israeli army. At the present time Israeli attacks are being undertaken on Jenin refugee camp in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, home to three generations of Palestinian refugees, many of whom are now fleeing again. The camp has sheltered them in the years since hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were ethnically cleansed and forced from their homes to make way for the establishment of Israel in 1948.

Irish political party Sinn Féin, which is the main opposition party in Ireland and biggest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, have called for solidarity and support to the Palestinian people. At least 9 people have been killed and about 3,000 Palestinians have already been forced to flee Jenin refugee camp since the start of the Israeli operation late on Sunday. Sinn Féin recently introduced the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023 which would mandate the Irish government to divest from companies which derive profits from the Occupied Territories. The bill is currently before Dáil Éireann (Irish legislature).  In total contrast to this the UK Conservatives have introduced a bill into the British parliament designed to stop public bodies boycotting Israel. 

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Matt Carthy TD, has described this Tory Bill seeking to ban local authorities and public bodies in Britain and the north of Ireland from conducting Palestinian solidarity measures as ‘callous and counterproductive’. He condemned the Israeli military operation in Jenin and said that:

“The British government must not succeed in the banning of solidarity measures with the Palestinian people.

“The elected members of local authorities have the right to choose who they do business with, and especially to ensure that public monies for which they have oversight of are not spent supporting what is internationally recognised as an illegal occupation." 

Image: Matt Carthy TD, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence