Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The Government is deeply concerned by the situation in the occupied territories, and especially by the toll of death and destruction in Gaza. We have conveyed our position clearly and consistently in direct contacts with the relevant parties, including the Israeli Government. We have been to the fore in the formulation of EU policy positions on the issues involved and have played a prominent role at UN level. We will continue to do so actively.

Deputies will be aware that I condemned unreservedly the killing of 18 civilians in the shelling of Beit Hanoun by the Israeli Defence Forces on 8 November. I also condemned the killing of an Israeli woman in rocket attacks on Sderot on 15 November. The Government has continued to call for an immediate end to all violence, including the Israeli military operation in Gaza and the firing of rockets on Israel from Palestinian territory.

The General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on 13 November strongly deplored the Israeli military action in Gaza and the unacceptable military operation in Beit Hanoun. On 17 November, an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, which was introduced by the Palestinian delegation, calling on Israel to cease immediately military operations that endanger the Palestinian civilian population and to withdraw its forces from within the Gaza Strip to the positions they occupied prior to 28 June. The resolution also calls on the Palestinian Authority to take immediate and sustained action to bring an end to violence, including the firing of rockets into Israeli territory. Following intensive co-ordination within the EU, Ireland and all other EU member states voted in favour of the resolution.

The continuing violence and the serious humanitarian situation in Gaza underline the urgent need to revive a credible peace process in the Middle East. We strongly support the efforts of President Abbas to negotiate the formation of a Palestinian national unity government with Hamas and the other Palestinian groupings, and our representative in Ramallah has conveyed this to him directly. Given the context, it is not surprising that these negotiations have proved difficult and that agreement has not yet been reached. In recent weeks there has been some evidence of differences of emphasis and approach in a number of statements by spokesmen for Hamas.

I have stated on many occasions that if agreement can be reached on a Government committed to a two-state solution and based clearly on an end to violence, Ireland will argue strongly for a generous and creative political response from the EU and the international community.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

The EU has stated that a Government with a platform reflecting the Quartet principles and allowing for early engagement would be a partner for the international community in re-launching the peace process.

The Government and our EU colleagues continue to impress on the Israeli Government the urgent need to end all practices in the occupied territories which threaten to undermine the viability of a two-state solution and which are in contravention of international law. These include the continuing expansion of settlements, the construction of the separation barrier on occupied land and the practice of the demolition of Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem. The EU also continues to make it clear that it will recognise no changes to the pre-1967 borders other than those negotiated between the parties as part of a final status agreement.

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