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

I can understand the frustration the Deputy has outlined. My position on the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 has been made very clear to this House on many occasions. We cannot do something we are not legally allowed to do and that is the clear advice I have on that Bill. That being said, this week alone I have spoken to the new Israeli foreign minister, this morning to the Saudi foreign minister, and I am meeting the Palestinian ambassador tomorrow. I also spoke to the US Secretary of State, Mr. Mike Pompeo, and most of that conversation was focused on the Middle East peace process and my concerns about it. As such, I wish to reassure the Deputy and the House that within the UN, be it on the Security Council, the General Assembly, or other arms such as the Human Rights Council or elsewhere, Ireland will continue to raise the issue of the Middle East peace process and the need to find a way forward that is fair to both sides. This will be done with a view to trying to achieve a two-state solution whereby two viable states can live side by side in peace. We are a long way from that right now but Ireland will work in every way it can toward achieving that aim.

One of the things we will have to do is to choose and volunteer to chair certain committees. We are going to try to focus on areas where Ireland has both capacity and credibility. Those committees have not been decided yet but they probably will be decided by the end of August or, if not, by mid-September but it will be well in advance of us taking our seat on 1 January 2021.

See this speech in context