Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

There is a widely shared understanding in the European Union that the new Netanyahu Government must clearly demonstrate its commitment to a two-state solution and its willingness to abide by previous international agreements. That consensus is emerging within the Union. The messages have been very clearly sent to all concerned. We recently met Javier Solana, the head of EU external relations, when he came to Ireland. We had very comprehensive discussions on the Middle East. In many ways, as I said, there are pluses and minuses in the current scenario. One of the pluses is the initiative taken by President Obama, the prioritisation of the issue by the new US Administration and the appointment of Mr. George Mitchell. That presents an opportunity. With the European Union working in concert with the United States, there is an opportunity to gain momentum.

We have had the election of a new Israeli Government and its opening comments do not give rise to optimism. On the other hand, space must be allowed for the key envoys and players to see if they can work creatively towards creating a pathway to enable talks to begin and people to engage directly. There must be a desire for peace on the part of the Israeli Government and the Palestinian representatives. Palestinian unity is important to an ultimate solution, particularly in the context of what is happening in Gaza. We have repeatedly made the point that the opening of routes into Gaza must happen. The blockade is unacceptable. The humanitarian consequences are unacceptable and it undermines the capacity for a peaceful solution to emerge in the medium term.

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