Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----it is still a regressive move. I am also aware of reports that Palestinian human rights defenders were hacked using Pegasus spyware. We attach great importance to the freedom of civil society and people's ability to act without surveillance.

We have also asked Israel to respect international law and to avoid loss of life in the context of Palestinian prisoners who are currently on hunger strike in protest at their arrests under the Israeli policy of administrative detention. We are aware of the concerns raised by the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the health of some of these prisoners. I welcome the news that one of the individuals concerned has recently reached an agreement with the Israeli authorities to end his strike. We will continue to call on Israel to respect international law and to avoid loss of life and reiterate the right of all detainees to a fair trial. Likewise, in respect of settlements, we have consistently raised our opposition to the Israeli Government's plans for more than 3,000 settlement units in the West Bank. On 20 October we released a statement jointly with 11 other European countries urging the Israeli Government to reverse that decision and reiterating our strong opposition to its policy of settlement expansion. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, raised these issues during his recent visit to the region.

On the protocol, suffice to say that the discussions have taken a turn for the better for the time being. That has to be acknowledged and stated. I was at the British-Irish Council on Thursday and Friday and had a good constructive discussion with the Secretary of State, Michael Gove, and with the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales. They were very clear on the impact of invoking Article 16 on their economies.

There was general consensus all around on the need to avoid any disruption for the people on the ground in Northern Ireland. The EU and the UK are now working towards a negotiated resolution of the issues that have arisen as a result of the protocol. Some legitimate issues have arisen and they need to be resolved. We should do that by negotiation and that is the intention.

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