Debate contribution: End Israeli Impunity in Gaza
Debate contribution by Mr Stewart Dickson on .
- MLA
- Mr Stewart Dickson
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 24 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- End Israeli Impunity in Gaza
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5047389
Read the official Assembly record
Text
What we witness in Gaza is not a war; it is a brutal, calculated and systemic attempt to erase an entire people physically, socially and politically. Over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, and thousands more carry wounds that are not only physical but psychological and emotional. It is a humanitarian disaster. Right now, in Gaza, people — human beings — are on the brink of famine. Nearly half a million people are at risk of starvation. That has not happened by chance; it is the result of Israel's blocking aid for months while destroying what little remains of Gaza's food system. Starvation is not just a war crime; it is a tactic. It is being used to break down a society, to dismantle its political identity and to destroy the ability to function. In May and June, Israeli forces opened fire on civilians who were simply trying to feed themselves. We saw the same on 29 February 2024, during the so-called flour massacre, when 112 people were killed for trying to feed themselves. Those actions directly violate international rulings, including three separate orders from the International Court of Justice. It ordered Israel to enable humanitarian access and prevent irreparable harm to Palestinians under the genocide convention. The aim is not only extermination but social collapse. By cutting off food, water, healthcare and shelter — the building blocks of everyday life — the goal is to make the life of the Palestinian unlivable.
People are forced to focus on individual survival. Communities have broken down. Solidarity is attacked. That is not incidental: it is intentional.
We are told that what is happening is chaos. Gaza is descending into disorder.
No, I want to make progress and complete my speech. I have a lot to say. The disorder is part of a strategy. Once Gaza is broken, external powers will step in, not to rebuild but to reshape it for their own ends. They will call that "stability", but we know what that really means. We cannot ignore the destruction of Gaza's hospitals. Most have been bombed and made unusable. Cancer treatment has gone. The Gaza European Hospital, once the only facility able to offer surgical oncology, no longer functions. A total of 14,000 healthcare workers have been killed. The healthcare system has not just collapsed; it has been targeted. The destruction goes beyond hospitals. Some 89% of Gaza's water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, and 90% of homes are gone, uninhabitable. Almost the entire population has been displaced, living in shelters with no clean water, sanitation or medicine. Infectious diseases are rampant. The toll on children is beyond comprehension. On average, 35 children are killed every day; 20,000 have died since 7 October. Some arrive at emergency clinics with gunshot wounds, others are dying of hunger. For those who survive, the trauma will never leave them. For too long, Israel has acted with impunity. Despite widespread evidence of war crimes, despite rulings from international courts, Governments and institutions have stayed silent or quiet. That silence is complicity, yet recent statements from the UK, France and Canada have warned of the consequences if Israel does not end its assault and lift the blockade. However, we have heard that before. We have seen what red lines mean in practice. The time for statements is over. The evidence is there. The destruction is there. The suffering is unbearable. If we do not act now, we are failing the Palestinian citizens, we are failing ourselves and we are failing our humanity. Let us be clear: that is genocide, not metaphorically, but legally, under the genocide convention, —
— and once we name it, we have responsibilities.
614 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.13 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.73).
- Subject area: Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.24 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.05 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.06 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.07 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.31 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.13 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.73 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.16 |
| Adopts it | 0.11 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.61 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.28 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.06 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.03 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:55 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.