Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Again, I make the general point that any withdrawal must take place in co-ordination with the Palestinian authorities. The withdrawal from Tulkarem due next week will take place in consultation with the Palestinian authorities and with their co-operation.

Some sections of the wall have been rerouted closer to the 1967 line. While this reduces the negative impact on the Palestinian population in the areas in question, it does not overcome the fact that the building of the barrier on Palestinian territory is illegal. This is the view of the European Union and the International Court of Justice and remains our position. While we accept the Israeli Government has a duty to protect its people, Ireland and the European Union have forcefully stated that the siting of the wall is wrong and it should be moved to the pre-1967 line.

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