Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I said in my opening statement, the Government shares the concerns raised by the Deputy at the designation of these six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist entities. The Minister has conveyed our concerns directly in his meetings in Israel this week. As the Deputy knows, civil society organisations play an important role and Ireland is a vocal supporter of the civil society space. This is an issue we take seriously and we will raise the designations as soon as possible at the Security Council.

A number of Deputies have raised the issues of settlements and the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. We have been forthright in expressing our concerns regarding the Israeli occupation of Palestine. I will also take this opportunity, since the Deputy raised the matter, to reiterate the Government's concerns regarding recent announcements by the Israeli authorities of plans for the construction of more than 3,000 settlement units in the West Bank. Ireland joined 11 other European states in issuing a statement on 28 October urging the Israeli authorities to reverse the decision. Ireland has consistently and strongly opposed settlements and will continue to do so. Settlement expansion, demolitions and evictions threaten the viability of a two-state solution.

Ireland will continue to use our voice at the Security Council to draw attention to these issues. As the Deputy knows, the Middle East remains a key priority for Ireland during our term on the Security Council and we engage actively in monthly meetings on the situation in the region. As part of Ireland's presidency of the council in September, the Minister chaired a dialogue between the Security Council and the Arab League during which he underlined the need for a strong regional engagement on the Middle East peace process and a reinvigoration of the political track, which is vital to advance peace.

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