Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The EU-Israel association agreement has been in place for a number of years. It is a good thing for the European Union to have agreements with as many countries and parts of the world as possible. However, and I know the Deputy shares this view, I also believe the human rights obligations in the agreement are not just stuck in for padding – they are not discretionary and they are not optional extras. From an EU credibility point of view, we have to take action when anyone with whom we sign up to an agreement breaches part of it. The human rights obligations matter and Israel is clearly in breach of them.