Ms Lorna Hayes:

I definitely agree with the Deputy's points on foreign policy, but the dissonance is maybe more among member states and less so among the public or citizens in different European countries. The Deputy is probably following the EU-Israel association agreement that is being discussed at the moment. The review confirmed that Israel is in breach of its human rights obligations. At next week's Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the EU is supposed to be taking decisions on what it will do because of the results of the review. It appears there is not a lot of political will for action at EU level. The EU is talking a lot about continuing dialogue with Israel, etc., so it is very important that member states continue to do what they can at national level. Ireland has of course played a leadership role in Brussels, alongside Spain, Belgium and some other member states, but, unfortunately, they still seem to be in the minority. It remains to be seen what will happen in Brussels on that issue.