Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I met the Palestinian representative to Ireland a couple of months to talk about the issues the Deputy raised and the difficulties for the populations of Gaza and the occupied territories.

I agree with her that what is happening is exceptionally difficult for them. Much has been done to build up and develop the area, including significant support from the Irish development aid programme via the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Much of that, as well as the contributions from other EU member states, may well be undone and set at nought by the developments of which we are aware. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is closely monitoring the situation. Officials are keeping in contact with our missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah, which is important, and, through them, with the administrations in both Israel and Palestine.

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