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

The EU has good reason to act because the existence of the settlements has repeatedly been deemed illegal by the United Nations and the International Court of Justice. I ask the Tánaiste to ensure the issue remains high on the agenda. Deputy Crowe and other committee members listened to the accounts given by Trócaire at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade. One comment was made by a farmer whose land had been confiscated from him on two occasions. He said it was not safe for them and that this was a huge humiliation and loss of dignity. The concerns of those people must be uppermost in the minds of people dealing with foreign affairs issues. A union the size of the EU must be proactive on this important issue.

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