Sir, - As we witness the forced starvation of the Palestinian people in Gaza, displacement of 800,000 people from northern Gaza, daily bombardment and the relentless murder of children and adults, we call on the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) to stop funding genocide; do not renew the State of Israel Bond Issuance programme on September 2nd.
Israeli bonds fund the genocide in Gaza, the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and the apartheid regime in Israel. Enabling their sale in the EU is morally reprehensible and in violation of international law.
The recent report on Israeli bonds from the Joint Oireachtas Finance Committee affirmed that the CBI, as an organ of the State, must comply with international law. It recommended that “due diligence is discharged by the CBI including appropriate consideration of national and international law”.
It rejected as “ill-founded” the view of the CBI governor that the Genocide Convention does not apply to the CBI. It further recommended that “the Central Bank take all possible steps available to it to suspend the offer of the prospectus under obligations to ‘prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories’ as outlined in the ICJ opinion of July 2024”.
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In addition, the Prospectus Regulation (Article 88, Preamble) sets out clearly that it is to be interpreted and applied in accordance with the rights and principles of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Clearly, aiding the funding of genocide, apartheid and occupation is in direct violation of this.
The Government has a responsibility to ensure this country is not complicit in genocide. The International Court of Justice (Bosnia V Serbia, 2007) made clear that a state is complicit if “its organs were aware that genocide was about to be committed or was under way, and if the aid and assistance supplied … to the perpetrators of the criminal acts … enabled or facilitated the commission of the acts”.
We call on the CBI not to renew approval for Israeli genocide-funding bonds. We call on the Government to direct the CBI not to renew approval of Israeli bonds. This shameful chapter in our nation’s history must end. – Yours, etc,
ZOE LAWLOR, chairperson, IPSC;
OWEN REIDY, general secretary, ICTU;
JOHN BOYLE, general secretary, INTO;
MARTIN WALSH, president, FORSA;
ÉAMON MEEHAN, chair, Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance;
Dr DAVID LANDY, Jews for Palestine (Ireland).
For full list of signatories, see ipsc.ie
