Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It was in that context that the statement from the EU member states was signed off. To be fair to the embassy, generally we are in touch with it on multiple occasions daily. There has been a great deal of interaction between the embassy and the Government of Israel in respect of our stance on this issue. There is no ambiguity or misunderstanding about our position in regard to the Government of Israel, so much so that it has sought explanations and so forth. I have also communicated to the Israeli ambassador, at a meeting here, our clear position in respect of all of these issues so that it would be communicated directly to the Israeli Government. Of course I met with the Israelis after 8 October. I met with the Prime Minister and its foreign minister. Even then I gave our position as the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

In terms of the occupied territories Bill, the advice from successive Attorneys General - not just one - is that it is incompatible with EU law and is not implementable. That is the clear legal advice, and the trade policies and EU confidence. Our opposition to the settlements is clear. A differentiation policy distinguishes between Israel and settlements. A unilateral approach would be wholly ineffective but we work with EU member states to try to get common positions.