John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ireland provides development and humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Palestinian men, women and children. This aid amounted to €15 million in 2018. The funding addressed both humanitarian and development needs, providing emergency assistance to the most vulnerable while also supporting the Palestinian Authority in the public service delivery and civil society organisations and advocating for human rights. In 2019, we increased support to the Palestinian people and will include expansion of the programme of scholarships to Palestinian students to study in Ireland. One of the reasons I went to the West Bank on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills was to continue our support to the Palestinian people and the education system in Palestine.

The Irish aid programme also provides significant funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, in light of the current exceptional circumstances the agency faces. Ireland provided a total of €9 million for the UNRWA programme budget and its emergency appeals in Gaza and Syria in 2018, which is the highest contribution to date. Fundamentally, we have taken issue with Israel on what has happened here and we continue to do so with our friends in the European Union, who have also done the same.

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