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

I also welcome the delegation. I had the pleasure of having lunch with the Deputy Prime Minister and his delegation yesterday. The relationship between Ireland and Singapore is growing stronger every year, and I thank him for being here.

I am glad the Deputy raised this question. The treatment of Palestinian minors under the Israeli occupation and military justice system has long been an issue of concern for us, which we have discussed here and which the Government has raised with the Israeli authorities and at EU and international level, including statements by Ireland at the UN Human Rights Council. I have expressed these concerns directly to Israeli leaders during my recent visit to the region in January. Despite occasional improvements on specific details, worsening aspects have been accurately tracked in reports such as those by UNICEF recently and Israeli non-govenrmental organisations, NGOs, with whom we have contacts.

For me, the bottom line is that Palestinian children are clearly subject to widespread treatment which Israel would - correctly - consider to be unacceptable for its own children. The case to which the Deputy refers is one which exhibits many issues that concern us. First, there is the way in which protest against the occupation can be criminalised and suppressed. Second, there is the exertion of political pressure in Israel to press the military authorities to take heavy handed and highly publicised action against a Palestinian family who posed no genuine security threat. Third, there is the treatment of Palestinian minors and their families to pressure them to accept plea bargains which then supposedly justify the whole process.

I believe that the Israeli authorities should re-examine these approaches in this case and in others. Until they do so, the image of Israel and the legal system imposed on Palestinians in occupied territory will be gravely impaired.

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