Sean Ó hArgáin has given a cautious welcome to the announcement of a ceasefire after the announcement of a deal between the Israeli and Hamas governments. Speaking at the weekly vigil in Kilkenny city, which has taken place ever since the Hamas and Israeli attacks in October 2023, Cllr. Ó hArgáin said that people should proceed with caution and skepticism, given Israel’s decades-long failure to respect previous agreements.
‘As someone who has campaigned for decades for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state and for the human and civil rights of the Palestinian people to be respected, I welcome any move towards a ceasefire to end the bloodshed wrought on the people of Gaza since October 2023. I condemned and will continue to do so, the outrageous actions of Hamas, which started this current slaughter on October the 7th The reaction of the Israeli government to those events, however, has outraged the world and the slaughter of 46,000 people, including 13,000 children, amounts to nothing short of genocide, in my view. It is time for that genocidal slaughter to stop immediately and permanently.
It is vital for medical and other emergency supplies, including food and water, to be allowed into all areas of Gaza immediately. Children and adults are still suffering from starvation and lack of water and people are also crying out for medical attention, with the majority of hospitals destroyed by the Israeli onslaught. Israel must allow UNWRA to ensure this aid gets through and is delivered immediately.’
Cllr. Ó hArgáin also called for the immediate passing of the Occupied Territories Bill by the next Dáil.
‘The wording of the Programme for Government released yesterday is very disappointing. The commitment to ‘progress’ the Occupied Territories Bill has been followed up this morning by the Minister for Justice saying that the Government will ‘have to see what this looks like.’ As a public representative, I am demanding that the Government gets on with it and passes the bill immediately. The last government broke its promise to do so. This cannot happen again.’
Cllr. Ó hArgáin committed to continuing with local and Labour Party support for the people of Gaza, saying that the weekly vigil at 5.30 pm every Wednesday would continue and invited concerned local people to come along and continue to raise their voices, until a permanent ceasefire is achieved.
