you to intensify. These are not the actions of a country interested in peace. Russia could halt its brutal attacks at any time. Yet, it refuses to do so. Russia's actions have already had direct global impact in increased food and energy costs. This time last year, a bushel of wheat was just over $5. This year, it's more than $7. The fact that a permanent member of the Security Council is seeking to change borders by force in clear violation of the UN Charter is utterly unacceptable. Sovereignty and territorial integrity apply equally to all states. The international community must remain steadfast in our response in support of the UN Charter and of a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace. Ireland stands in solidarity with Ukraine and will continue to do so. We will continue to support efforts to hold Russia accountable for its actions. There can be no impunity for war crimes, not in Ukraine, not anywhere. And that is why Ireland is a steadfast supporter of the International Criminal Court. Ireland strongly opposes efforts to undermine the court. All measures against it should be immediately withdrawn.
The international legal order founded on our agreements to make the world a safer and more secure place is being challenged. International law represents the collective lessons drawn from conflict, suffering, and atrocity. The rules and institutions that we have built over generations exist to protect the rights, security, and sovereignty of all states and all peoples. When these principles are disregarded, the consequences extend far beyond any single conflict. We all become less secure.
Mr. President, 20 years ago, the Commission on war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur saw the international community come together to fulfill our collective responsibility to protect. Despite the extraordinary efforts of the Sudanese people, the cycle of violence has continued. The conflict has been inflamed and prolonged by harmful outside interference. All states and external actors must cease arming, financing, and enabling the war in Sudan. 15 million Sudanese people are displaced from their homes. Over 19 and a half million face crisis levels of hunger. 33 million need urgent humanitarian assistance. Violations of international law, including targeting on the basis of ethnicity, deliberate destruction of the means of survival, killing, torture, and sexual violence are again being used as weapons of war. We need to act decisively to support the people of Sudan to end this conflict. We must support their aspirations for democracy, justice, and development. Sudan has become a forgotten war despite its devastating impacts. We must not allow the absence of daily headlines to become a license for inaction. The people of Sudan deserve the same attention, urgency, and solidarity that we rightly extend to crises elsewhere.
Mr. President, despite its prevalence, we cannot ever allow ourselves to become indifferent to conflict and the human suffering it brings. To do so would deny the shared humanity of its victims. The peace plan on Gaza agreed last October was welcome, but it has not fundamentally changed the reality on the ground. Israeli strikes continue. Humanitarian aid remains blocked. Civilians continue to suffer. We, the collective international community, have failed Palestine. Ireland, like most gathered here, believe that the only viable solution to the decades of conflict, misery, and wasted human lives is a situation where a state of Palestine and a state of Israel live side by side in peace, security, and dignity. There are modest signs of progress. More countries have recognized the state of Palestine, and an overwhelming majority of UN member states has endorsed the New York Declaration. More of us have taken steps to push back against the illegal and violent settler occupation of Palestinian land in the West Bank. But time is running out. What we are witnessing on the ground is a deliberate attempt by some to make the prospect of a two-state solution impossible. This is not some mad conspiracy theory. It is the stated intent of the Prime Minister of Israel, who said clearly that, and I quote, "We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us." Unquote. As he permitted the E1 illegal development in East Jerusalem. And the situation in Gaza remains an affront to all that is decent. How can we tolerate a situation where civilians are so desperate for shelter that they have to make their homes in war-damaged and unsafe buildings? Where eight children died because one of them collapsed. Where the most basic humanitarian aid, food, and shelter is deliberately impeded. When the full truth of what has happened, what is still happening in Gaza, is finally known, when the evidence is gathered, when the testimonies are heard, when the true horrors are finally and fully revealed, it will shame the world. Nobody will be able to say that we did not know. Let it not be said that we did not act.
In the West Bank, the relentless expansion of settlements have reached a scale without precedent, further eroding the prospects for a just and lasting peace. Violent settlers continue to act with near total impunity, while Palestinian communities face a sustained campaign of displacement and destruction amounting to ethnic cleansing. Entire villages have been razed, homes and vital infrastructure demolished, and thousands of Palestinian families driven from the places they have called home for generations, and exposed to intimidation and violence. The United Nations reports that this year there've been almost 200 attacks against Palestinians every month, a stark reminder of a reality that is deepening conflict, suffering, and despair. The International Court of Justice has been clear. Settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal. Ireland has acted alongside others to prohibit the import of settlement goods. It is never too late to uphold international law.
Mr. President, the conflict in the Gulf remains deeply concerning and is having a serious impact around the world. We need to get back to meaningful good faith negotiations by all sides. Ireland has consistently stated that Iran must cease its attacks on its neighbors and also end its destabilizing activities across the region, including strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Vessels must be allowed to transit the Strait safely and without tolls in line with international law. If we are to build greater stability, Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. Iran's destabilizing influence across the region must cease. We need dialogue to achieve a negotiated settlement.
Mr. President, since 1978, Irish soldiers have served with distinction in Lebanon in the UNIFIL peacekeeping operation. Ireland will continue to work with Lebanon, the European Union, and international
