Published: Tue, 16 January 2024
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Sean Kelly, MEP for Ireland South, has condemned the “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening.
MEP Kelly, with almost 15 years of dedicated service as an MEP, expressed his deep concern over the devastating impact of the military campaign in Gaza. “The atrocities committed on October 7th against innocent civilians were repugnant, but what we are seeing now has entered another stratosphere in terms of ordinary people, men, women, and children being killed, starved, or left homeless,” he said.
Rejecting discussions around geopolitics and strategic interests, Kelly emphasised the conflict’s impact on lives in Gaza: “I have little time for such details and explanations when the reality is that a whole population is being punished for the actions of terrorists.”
Kelly highlighted the immense devastation to infrastructure and the population in Gaza. “The military campaign in Gaza is among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history.”
Expressing support for the Irish government’s efforts, Kelly urged immediate international action, stating, “I support the Irish government’s efforts to intensify the pressure for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and I call on everyone here present to do the same.”
Kelly concluded by declaring: “I am against Hamas, I am against Anti-Semitism – but I will always stand up for the innocent. Israel has the right to exist; it has the right to get its hostages home safe. But innocent Palestinians have the right to life, not just to live – but a life.”
Emphasising the urgency of a ceasefire, Kelly stated, “Along with the release of hostages, we need a ceasefire, and we need it now. Without it, no progress can be made, and we will never have peace. A proper, and fair, two state solution must be revisited”.
