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

I am sorry, but we make a distinction between Israel and the occupied territories. I do not believe that settlements are legal and I have said many times on the record that settlements and their expansion in occupied territories is illegal under international law. I raise that issue probably more than any other EU Minister on an international stage, whether it is in EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings, at the UN, on other international forums, here, and I raise it bilaterally and directly also with the Israeli Government, including the new Israeli Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, with whom I have spoken about this issue.

My position on this is very clear. That does not mean that Ireland should not have a relationship with Israel. I believe we should and if State agencies have a relationship with the state of Israel that is normal in terms of bilateral relations between two states. That is a different issue to the issue of us raising bluntly and directly with the Israeli Government, and with others, the illegality of settlements and the responsibility that Israel has in the context of occupied territory.

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