Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will not repeat fully the reply I gave to Priority Question no. 101. I agree it is important that we do everything we can to avoid a further escalation of the situation into a full-scale conflict. The surrounding region offers a salutary lesson of how much worse things could be. It is important in addressing the situation not to focus on the sufferings or shortcomings of one side because civilian deaths continue to occur on both sides. The address to the current violence must involve the leaders on both sides reacting responsibly and with restraint and reducing rather than stoking up the temperature.

Measures by the international community need to be carefully considered at such a sensitive time lest we ourselves contribute to the heightening of tension in the region. High Representative Mogherini, in a recent visit, stressed to both sides the need to de-escalate and avoid provocative actions on the ground as well as to re-open a perspective for political progress. A commitment by Israel to respect the status quoin holy places is clearly one essential element of this process.

Ireland has consistently argued for a stronger engagement by the international community, including the European Union, on the issues on the ground which we believe continue to heighten tension and thereby undermine the real prospects for peace. These centre, in particular, on the settlement enterprise. The EU has begun more clearly to follow a clear policy of differentiation between the settlements and Israel, including, so far, action on settlement goods and investment in the settlements. I assure the Deputy that it is my intention to see soon the promised EU guidelines on the labelling of settlement goods and I wrote last Friday to High Representative Mogherini in this regard. I expect the matter to be on the agenda for the forthcoming Foreign Affairs Council meeting. It is essential that such pressures continue beyond the current crisis. In the immediate future, it is important that measures be assisted by the international community to de-escalate the violent activity in Jerusalem and beyond.

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