Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The position of Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel is an issue which Ireland has consistently raised over recent years in our dialogue with Israeli authorities. This has included contacts both here in Ireland and in Israel as well as in our discussions at EU and UN level. Our concerns have related to both the incidence and the conditions of detention. This has included the increased use of administrative detention without trial and our concern that detention is in some cases being used to try to deter activists from engaging in peaceful and legitimate protests against the occupation and related policies. Of course, we must also acknowledge that many Palestinian prisoners, including some now on hunger strike, have been convicted of very serious offences, including involvement in violent attacks.

Issues raised under conditions of detention have included physical conditions, medical issues, legal processes and family visits. It is only fair to recognise that we could express similar or stronger concerns about prisoners in many other jurisdictions in the region as well as in Israel. Within those representations we have made to Israel, there has been a particular focus on detention of children and Ireland raised this question in our intervention at the universal periodic review of Israel at the UN Human Rights Council in 2013. We have also engaged with the Israeli authorities on some specific issues relating to children and there have been some improvements such as the raising of the age at which young persons are treated as adults in the judicial system.

Regarding the current situation, some 1,500 prisoners were reported to have begun a hunger strike on 17 April. We cannot support the use of hunger strikes as a means of exerting pressure. There is a real risk of attitudes hardening on either side leading to tragedy. We do not want to say anything that could add to that risk. We are all aware here, of course, of the danger of a hunger strike leading to increased tensions and clashes on the streets as we have seen in the past. For these reasons, I will not comment on the specific issues which the strikers have raised. However, I would reiterate our essential position, which should be an obvious one, namely, that detained Palestinians should have the same protections and conditions that Israel affords its own citizens when detained. I would also stress that since Palestinian prisoners should under international law be held within their own territory, when Palestinians are being held in Israel, special attention must be given to ensuring that family visits are realistically facilitated.

My Department raised this issue with the Israeli ambassador on 9 May. We also raised it yesterday with the Israeli mission to the EU in Brussels. The EU missions in Palestine, including Ireland's mission, issued a public statement on Saturday concerning the hunger strikes and issues related to conditions of detention and calling on Israel to respect fully the rights of prisoners. I am aware that previous hunger strikes have been resolved allowing a tragic outcome to be avoided. I very much hope that this will also be the case on this occasion. More generally, issues regarding prisoners will continue to be followed closely by my Department.

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