Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the ambassador for his attendance and wish to re-emphasise one point that was made earlier in respect of Israel. One does not expect much from dictatorships or countries that are engaged in terrorism, which is why there is no point in bringing before this committee representatives of some countries in the Middle East. That is what dictatorships do - they wage war against democracies and their own people. However, one expects a lot more from Israel, which is a democracy, albeit limited because some of its people living within its borders are not allowed to vote. Members expect a lot more of democracies than of terrorists or dictatorships.

My question to the ambassador pertains to the European Union's trade agreement with Israel, namely, the Euro-Mediterranean agreement, which has within it a humanitarian clause and a human rights clause. What does the Palestinian Authority want Ireland to do in invoking that clause because one has seen many times the European Union engaging in talks but not in actions? The Euro-Mediterranean agreement allows Israel, as well as illegal settlements and the produce produced therefrom, access to European markets. The aforementioned human rights clause was included to be invoked in the event that Israel was engaged in violations of human rights, as members have seen happen. Members do not expect much from Hamas. They fire indiscriminately and wish to kill everyone they see. Members do not expect much from dictatorships or terrorist organisations. They expect more from Israel and expect more from the European Union, in that if it has a trade agreement with a democracy, it should invoke and revoke that trade agreement and the human rights clause within it as a punishment for its activity. I seek the ambassador's views in this regard.