Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. As he correctly said, what has happened on the West Bank since 1967 is deplorable. My understanding is settlements have been promoted and expanded under every Israeli Government. Recently, I read that 200 settlements comprise 42% of the land on the West Bank and almost 500,000 Israeli settlers. The Minister referred to the EU resolution agreed last May at the Council of Ministers to recognise the urgency of the situation and to condemn developments which threaten to make a two-state solution impossible. Am I correct that this matter was discussed at the most recent Council meeting? In excess of €100 million in settlement products are imported by the EU annually, although the figures I have seen vary between €96 million and €160 million. I do not know the exact figure but it is sizeable even at the minimum value. Exports to the EU help to make those settlements economically viable and that is not acceptable. If there is not progress and stronger action by the EU, will the Minister ensure this matter will be high on his priority list when he chairs the Foreign Affairs Council in the coming six months?

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