Ó Snodaigh calls for further sanctions against Israel

Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh has today called for the Irish Government to campaign for an end to the EU’s preferential Trade agreement with Israel and to support the campaign of sanctions against Israel.

Speaking today, at a Conference organised by the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA) entitled “An Independent Irish Foreign Policy, A Future?” Deputy Ó Snodaigh was responding to the Governments success in blocking a data sharing project between the EU and Israel.

The EU Commission dropped the proposal this week following objections by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern due to Israel’s use of stolen Irish Passports in the murder of a senior Hamas official in Dubai in January of this year. However Deputy O Snodaigh called for the Government to do more.

He said:

“The Government should now follow up this action by demanding an end to the preferential trade agreement with Israel, supporting the campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israeli goods and ensuring that Israel is not granted a contract to supply the defence forces with ammunition.”

Deputy Ó Snodaigh also called for Irish Foreign Policy to be based on active neutrality, criticised the Government’s support for the Lisbon Treaty and for its failure to meet its commitment on overseas aid delivery.

He said:

“Irish Foreign Policy should be based on active neutrality which means the non involvement in wars, respect for the independence of other states and defending our own independence, impartiality, peace keeping, non aggression, supporting the primacy of the United Nations, as well as making independent Foreign policy decisions.

“In addition we believe there are positive obligations on states to work to eliminate hunger, poverty and inequality. These are the real axes of evils in the world that we should all come together to oppose.

“The Government’s approach to the EU and especially their support for the Lisbon Treaty has consigned Neutrality, even by their own limited definition of it, to the waste bin of history.

“This Government has also failed to meet its commitments in terms of the Millennium Development goals which includes a commitment to spend 0.7% of National Income on Overseas Development Aid. A goal which the Government has failed to deliver on since the commitment was made over ten years ago.” ENDS