Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As chair of the Oireachtas Friends of Palestine Group I welcome the witnesses today and thank them for their engagement with the group and with the committee over a long period. I also wish to put on record the contribution made by Trócaire, Sadaka and other organisations as well. I thank Mr. Heap for the regular updates he provided to me on his underground experience in recent months. I have dispersed the accounts to some committee members. I found reading them compelling but difficult. I recall the incident he related to us about farmers who are essentially penned into the structure he described to access their own land. That was an emotive and striking picture. I thank Mr. Sheerin as well for his deep insights into the situation. We have heard strong words from the EU Council on a variety of potential actions that could be taken on this extremely complex area. However, it is correct to say that the time for words has passed and the time for action - whatever that might be - has come.

People often feel powerless about making a contribution to the resolution of this intractable problem but we have identified a feasible one in terms of the ban on produce from illegal settlements. Individual citizens feel powerless and we as parliamentarians sometimes feel powerless to change the situation. The Tánaiste has set out his position clearly. The European Union must act in a much more vigorous way. I met recently with Pierre Vimont, the head of the External Action Service in the European Union. I sensed his frustration and that of officials about the glacial pace of the European Union's response to issues relating to the Palestinian-Israeli situation. Far be it from me to directly quote such an eminent figure as Pierre Vimont but that was the thrust of his contribution to the meeting, among other contributions he made.

It is important for us to put on record our support, if the committee can reach agreement, for a national ban on imports of products from illegal settlements. We should put it at the centre of our Presidency of the European Union. We must convince our European colleagues that it is not just a symbolic way to make a stand but is also a practical way to convince Israeli public opinion that this is not acceptable any longer, that we cannot tolerate this and that the international community will not tolerate it. The Palestinian people need an ally in the European Union because they have been let down by the United States. They are at the mercy of each and every electoral cycle. That is not acceptable. For a variety of reasons the European Union should stand four-square behind the Palestinian people to do what it can to resolve matters.

It will come as a surprise to many citizens of this country and the European Union to find that SodaStream is made in one of the illegal settlements. It is yet another reason not to drink SodaStream products. I am not being facetious. Do the witnesses intend to campaign on the issue and to inform the public about the type of products that are created in the illegal settlements? If one were to ask someone on O'Connell Street this afternoon to name a product they would find it difficult to pinpoint one. It is important from the point of view of the public consciousness to have those discussions. Do the witnesses have any intention of raising awareness of the issue?