Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We would prefer to recognise the state of Palestine as part of a two-state solution. This is something the Tánaiste, in particular, has worked hard on over the past number of years.

The issue of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 has been raised a number of times but the position of the Attorney General has not changed. It goes beyond what any Government has an ability to do, in particular, if we look at this as a trading matter and an EU competence matter.

The Bill would not be implementable and is not part of the proposed programme for Government being voted on at the moment. We will commit to our overall engagement as part of an attempt to find a two-state solution to the problem. We will, of course, continue to prioritise the Middle East peace process after taking our seat on the UN Security Council, which is an opportunity for us to try to progress what is, as the Deputy rightly noted, an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

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