Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, the House agreed that Israel is acting illegally under international law. We have a window of opportunity to use the powerful lever of Horizon funding to pressure Israel to end its apartheid regime. The new Horizon fund, which is worth €95.5 billion, represents a chance to hold Israel to account in respect of what the House agreed yesterday is thede factoannexation of Palestinian lands. For Israel to access funding and the high-value research network relating to Horizon, it has to renegotiate a bilateral agreement with the European Commission. First, the Commission needs to seek a mandate from the European Council to enter negotiations. That is what is happening at present. The Government needs to make clear at meetings of the European Council that it will not support any mandate for negotiating with Israel. The Horizon funding represents a power lever that can be used to pressure on Israel. Over the past seven years Israel has received €1.24 billion in funding. In comparison, Ireland, as a full member of the EU, has received €100 million less than that.

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