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

On the Tamimi case, Irish and other EU diplomats attended the hearings in the military court as the case developed. An officer from Ireland's representative office in Ramallah was present in the court last Thursday when sentencing took place. During my visit to the Middle East in January, I raised directly with Israeli authorities my concerns about the detention of minors, as well as the issues of night-time arrests and blindfolding. I recalled that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child entails obligations to use detention only as a means of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period in the case of minors.

I have raised this particular case and also the general issue of how minors are treated within the occupied territories. It is damaging to Israel's reputation internationally and that is why it is in everybody's interest to change the approach. My approach to the issue, as the Deputy knows, is to be blunt and discuss with all sides the issues of occupation and settlements. I will continue to have that conversation with the Israeli authorities and also with the Palestinians.

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