INTERNATIONAL SINN FÉIN MOTION WINS ACTION ON PALESTINE

Dublin City Council signs on for Second Freedom Flotilla to Gaza

Críona Ní Dhálaigh

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has unanimously passed a Sinn Féin motion condemning the Israeli commando airborne assault on the Gaza First Freedom Flotilla in the summer, murdering nine civilian aid workers and injuring 30 others.
The motion commends the Irish citizens on the MV Rachel Corrie and who took part in the First Flotilla’s bid to take 10,000 tonnes of supplies to Gaza under siege. It also pledged the capital city’s support to the Second Freedom Flotilla in October.
The motion also calls on the Irish Government to review the purchases of military equipment from Israel and to discontinue the EU’s preferential trade agreement with Israel.
The motion was tabled by Sinn Féin Councillor Críona Ní Dhálaigh and seconded by the Labour Party.
Another motion, tabled by Lord Mayor Gerry Breen of Fine Gael, tasking Dublin City Council to “examine the possibility of twinning with Gaza City”, was referred to the Protocol Committee for further discussion.
The Sinn Féin motion passed unanimously by the council was hailed by Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign National Chairperson Freda Hughes as “extremely positive” and an important motion that is “another principled stand for the rights of the Palestinian people”.
In May, Dublin City Council passed a resolution calling on the City Manager not to sign or renew any contracts with French multinational Veolia, the operators of the LUAS tram system who have also tendered for the Metro North project.
Veolia operates Israeli rail, bus and waste services in the illegally-occupied West Bank, making them complicit in Israel’s contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention.