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

The Deputy and I share similar frustrations about what has happened in the past 12 to 18 months in the Middle East. Like many others, I await a new peace initiative led by the United States and it will only have a chance of success if there are a number of countries involved in the negotiations that may follow and if the content of the initiative is fair to both sides. There must be equality of esteem between Israelis and Palestinians in the negotiations that we all hope can result in a lasting peace deal.

Time and again we have seen political decisions leading to reactions that have made the tensions between Israel and Palestinians more difficult, for example, the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the cutting of funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, and the closing of a Palestinian office in Washington. Ireland wants to introduce some new thinking and bring together a number of Arab Foreign Ministers and the Palestinian leadership, as well as several EU Foreign Ministers who are involved and interested in there at least being discussions. We hope to be able to do this in January in Dublin.

See this speech in context