Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Loath though I am to quote from House of Commons committees, is the Minister aware that the House of Commons International Development Committee — it is not the most progressive committee but its findings are interesting — found that the effect of withholding budget support has been to place the Palestinian Authority under severe financial pressure and has increased poverty and hardship among Palestinians? Does the Minister agree that the decision by the EU to withdraw funding from the Palestinian Authority further compounded the humanitarian situation in Palestine, with high levels of unemployment, especially in the public sector? Is he aware also that the conclusions of that committee state that the withdrawal of funding might put Hamas into a corner which encourages violence rather than negotiation and that the international community must ensure it is not bolstering one faction against another, thereby increasing the risk of internal strife?

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