Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

I acknowledge the work the Minister has done in his discussions in the Middle East. He has visited Syria, Jerusalem, Egypt and most of the players in the region. However, is it not true that the European Union, as a body, has not done enough, although it has contributed a large amount of money for rebuilding works as a result of the conflict? Is it true that the Union is not working coherently to push Israel into a two-state solution? Today President Abbas meets President Obama in Washington. Only two weeks ago Prime Minister Netanyahu met President Obama. However, Israel is still not willing to discuss a two-state solution to the problem. Is the European Union, as a group of 27 countries, doing enough? Could it be more proactive rather than just contributing to the rebuilding of the region? As Deputy Timmins said, we were in the Gaza Strip a few weeks ago. We met a human rights lawyer who could not get permission to visit Brussels to tell his side of the story. He cannot get out of there; therefore, it is an open prison.

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