Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have reported to the House, I directly conveyed to the US Government my deep concerns in advance of this decision, as did many other leaders. I was disappointed at the US announcement recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and initiating steps to move the US embassy there. I issued a statement describing this decision as premature, ill-advised and unhelpful to efforts to resolve the conflict in the Middle East. High Representative Mogherini issued a similar statement on behalf of the EU and many EU governments have done likewise.

No country has its embassy to Israel in the city of Jerusalem. There are good reasons for this international consensus. First, the status of Jerusalem is one the issues to be resolved in a peace agreement and it is unhelpful to single out and anticipate a conclusion on just one issue. Second, Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, including occupied East Jerusalem, where more than 300,000 Palestinians live and which Palestinians see as the future capital of the Palestinian state.

President Trump stated that United States recognition did not imply any US view on the eventual boundaries of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. That is an important caveat. Unfortunately, this nuance is lost in the political signal sent to Israel last week.

I would not be in favour of refusing to meet or host the President of the United States because of a disagreement on policy, however strongly we might disagree. That would be incompatible with the depth and scale of our relationship, which is overwhelmingly a positive one. It would reduce our opportunities for influence in the short term and damage our interests in the long term.

For our part, Ireland's policy on Jerusalem is clear. In this week's EU informal meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I underlined to him our continuing conviction that the conflict could only be resolved by a two-state solution, including a sovereign state of Palestine. I also stressed the crucial and negative impact of continuing settlement building. Therefore, the Government looks forward in due course to recognising Jerusalem as the capital both of Israel and a sovereign state of Palestine.

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