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

We have had that debate. I wish to state clearly that in our judgment a two-state solution is the best outcome. That is our position, the position of the Palestinian leadership and the position of the US Government as well, as outlined by the US Vice President this week. There is a view that a one-state solution would not inspire the kind of hope that many Palestinian communities want and need.

I am absolutely committed to a two-state solution still. However, there are many things we need to raise concerns about in the meantime. The continuation of the expansion of illegal settlements in occupied territory in the West Bank is making a two-state solution more difficult to negotiate. It is making trust between the parties more difficult to reinforce. We need to encourage the reconciliation process between Fatah and Hamas to ensure that at some stage in the not-too-distant future the Palestinian Authority can take control and governance, including security control in Gaza. That would make it far easier for the international community to engage in Gaza, where there is extraordinary humanitarian pressure at the moment.

We are going to be announcing some projects for Gaza and increasing the resources we provide to Palestinians in the not-too-distant future.

Finally, in respect of the UN Relief and Welfare Agency, UNWRA, this is a really serious issue, not just for Gaza and the West Bank but also for Palestinian refugees generally in Jordan and Lebanon. The potential threat to UNWRA funding is a destabilising political issue in respect of which there needs to be much more certainty. I think my views on that have been stated quite forcefully.

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