Ms Cait Moran:

I am grateful for the invitation to the Department of Foreign Affairs to come and brief the committee. We are conscious of the context in which we are speaking to the committee and of the events of the last week in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, has made a statement to the Seanad on that matter yesterday with which members will be familiar.

I want to join with my colleague, Mr. McLaughlin, our director for global programmes in the Department, to briefly set out the context for Ireland's development and humanitarian assistance programme to the Palestinian people. Ireland’s objective is to achieve a just, enduring and stable peace in the Middle East. This foreign policy goal frames and shapes the Irish Aid approach to the region. Ireland’s programme of assistance is an integral part of our contribution to a sustainable peace. Ireland’s vision for peace in the Middle East is a vision shared with our EU partners and is one for the realisation of a negotiated two-state solution with an independent, democratic, viable and contiguous Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbours.

Development and humanitarian aid from donors play a vital role. However, they cannot substitute for the ending of the occupation, which alone can fully unlock a future Palestinian state’s potential. This understanding underpins Ireland’s engagement in the occupied Palestinian territory. Ireland’s aid programme there is delivered in the context of a continued deterioration in the situation on the ground and a steady rise in needs among the Palestinian population. The situation, as we have seen clearly in the last week, is volatile and unpredictable. As I said, the Minister set out Ireland’s position and gave a statement to the Seanad on the matter yesterday evening. He also spoke on the matter at the UN Security Council on Sunday evening.

The occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel continues to be the single most significant obstacle to Palestinian development. This informs Ireland’s approach, both in our bilateral engagement and through multilateral channels, including at the European Union and the United Nations. Ireland’s position is based on a firm commitment to a negotiated two-state solution that ends the occupation that began in 1967; with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, on the basis of international law, including the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. A series of negative trends on the ground, in particular the continued advancement of settlements, demolitions and threatened evictions on the West Bank, are undermining the potential for a successfully negotiated conclusion to the conflict. Ireland works hard to address these issues based on international law and the agreed international parameters.

My colleague, Mr. McLaughlin, will address the committee on the Irish Aid programme.