Debate contribution: End Israeli Impunity in Gaza
Debate contribution by Mr Timothy Gaston on .
- MLA
- Mr Timothy Gaston
- Party at the time
- Traditional Unionist Voice
- Date
- 24 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- End Israeli Impunity in Gaza
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5047675
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The hypocrisy of Sinn Féin knows no bounds. There is no mention in the motion of the terrorist attacks on 7 October. There is no mention of the years during which the Israeli people have suffered at the hands of the anti-God alliance from the countries that surround them. There is no mention of the abuse that Jewish people have suffered and continue to suffer across the world. Every country has a right to defend itself against terrorism and to fulfil its obligations to protect its people and innocent lives. When a motion comes before the House, it is worth checking who has signed it. Today, we are asked to support a motion that condemns war crimes, attacks on civilians, the use of starvation as a weapon, the bombing of hospitals and the traumatising of innocents. I have no problem with any of that. The lofty words, strong language and phrases are designed to stir the conscience, but, when I look at the signatories to the motion, what do I see? I see the name of Pat Sheehan, a Member who would have us believe that he cares about international law, humanitarian principles and the wounds inflicted on civilians. Let us test that claim. He is a man who bombed a cash and carry — not a military base or a government facility but a commercial business. He is a man who went on hunger strike alongside Thomas McElwee, who burned a young woman to death in a shop not in a war zone but in my constituency of North Antrim. The House is now being lectured by him on the sanctity of civilian life. Sinn Féin wants to talk about the psychological and emotional wounds suffered in Gaza. What about those inflicted at Claudy and La Mon or on Bloody Friday? Sinn Féin speaks about emotion and the orphans of Rafah, but it had no tears for the orphans of Enniskillen. The motion condemns the bombing of hospitals —.
Absolutely. I am comparing those who have tabled the motion, and I am judging them and testing the claims that they have made.
I am happy to give way to Mr Brooks.
Absolutely. Mr McGuigan has laid bare the fact that he wants us to turn away from what his party has supported in the past. We are talking about condemning the bombing of hospitals, but let us remember that on 2 November 1991 the IRA bombed Musgrave hospital. Two were murdered, and 10 were injured, one of whom was a five-year-old girl.
Yes, Mr Speaker. We move on to the targeting of paramedics and aid workers. Gerald Tucker, a 37-year-old hospital porter, was murdered — shot — as he left the hospital morgue at the Royal because he was an off-duty UDR man. The motion's signatories condemn the denial of humanitarian aid, yet, to this day, Sinn Féin denies the families of the disappeared even a grave to weep beside.
The motion speaks of war crimes, yet its genesis is in a movement that planted bombs in pubs, shops and hospitals across Northern Ireland. When Sinn Féin and its Members are compared —.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I will bring my remarks back to some of the phrases that we have heard today. We heard phrases such as "human rights"; "war crimes"; "crimes against humanity"; "ethnic cleansing"; and "death, destruction and devastation". My oh my, does that not sum up Sinn Féin and the IRA and what they bestowed on this country for years. I hear Ms Hargey chuntering from the sidelines. She is the woman who was in the toilet when Robert McCartney was murdered. My goodness, they like to turn their face. They do not like to be reminded of what we had. The loss of innocent lives is wrong. I must come back to this point: it is absolutely in Sinn Féin's DNA to bring forward a motion such as this, but I challenge the SDLP and the Alliance Party. Please, oh please, reflect on your position. Do not attach yourselves as bedfellows to Sinn Féin and its terrorist-supporting actions. My goodness, you are saying that you could not support the motion if mention of the arms were taken out. If you remove the arms and remove the support for Israelis, and what will happen? The anti-God alliance will surround them. That is what Sinn Féin wants.
It wants free rein for its terrorist-supporting sympathisers — the terrorists in Hamas.
746 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met every documented threshold for a qualifying culture-war activity.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.92 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- Criteria met: Identity framing (0.90); Sectarian or communal antagonism (0.63); Dog-whistle messaging (0.89).
- The text adopts the identity-based framing in its own voice (0.97).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- The text adopts a strongly antagonistic or dog-whistle framing, which qualifies even alongside legitimate scrutiny.
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 | 0.90 | Yes |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.63 | Yes |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.07 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.89 | Yes |
| Controversy escalation | 0.58 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.11 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.92 | Above qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.02 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.01 |
| Adopts it (chosen) | 0.97 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.51 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.33 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.16 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 01:20 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9. This record has been assessed 3 times; the latest assessment is shown.
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