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

I thank all of the Deputies for participating in this debate and for the tone of the debate. I also wish to recognise that yesterday was the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. They would have got a very strong signal from Ireland with Irish people's continuing concern for their struggle.

I will address a number of the issues that have been raised. I have been very vocal on the issue of the six Palestinian NGOs, at home nationally and at EU level. I have raised the issue very directly with the Israeli Government. While I was in Ramallah with senior officials we met with Al-Haq and with Addameer, the two NGOs of the six organisations, which Ireland financially supports. It is modest financial support but it is support nonetheless. We will continue to talk with both of those NGOs about how we can continue to support their work, which is obviously not easy in the context of the current conditions in which they are being asked to operate. I have also been very vocal in the international media on this issue. I have called out the antidemocratic nature of what has happened. NGOs and civil society are there to represent minorities that often have real vulnerabilities with regard to where they live, how they operate and the conditions under which they operate. Any democracy needs to facilitate a role for civil society and NGOs, often asking hard questions of governments. That is exactly what they are supposed to be doing: creating an uncomfortable space at times, asking hard questions and testing the legality of government policy. From my experience, that is what Al-Haq and Addameer have been doing. Addameer is supporting prisoners and Al-Haq is taking legal cases and is involved in international advocacy.

It is something I will continue to raise with Israel and at UN and EU level. It is something that they need to think again about and it reflects very poorly on the new Israeli Government in the context of this decision.

People keep calling on me to take action. I am not quite sure what they mean by that. I do not believe that by bringing forward the occupied territories) Bill that we will necessarily increase pressure on the Israeli Government, but we could certainly undermine Ireland’s influence both at UN and EU level in what we are trying to do, particularly during our term on the UN Security Council.

Even if we wanted to do that, it is not any coincidence that when a party moves from opposition to Government and actually listens to what the Attorney General has to say on these issues, that its position changes somewhat. We cannot bring the occupied territories Bill forward on the advice of two consecutive Attorneys General because it is effectively about trade policy, which is not a national competence.

I take the point and I do not want to get in to a tit-for-tat argument. The contributions this evening have been about asking me to focus on what we can do beyond simply condemnation and words. I take that on board in the context of settlements, settlement expansion, forced evictions, demolitions and settler violence that goes at times without consequence by way of impunity and lack of policing. I have met and seen the communities myself across the West Bank who have been impacted by all of that. I have been five times to the West Bank in less than five years, as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

This will continue to be a priority and a focus for us. We are all about trying to find a way to take action to change the direction of the Middle East peace process, which has been going in the wrong direction for too many years. We want, however, to use our influence to do that internationally. Ireland acting alone will not change the course of history in the Middle East but Ireland acting with other partners within the EU and in the UN can do that, acting as a small but, I hope, persuasive partner and voice in an international political environment that can change the direction of travel that we have unfortunately seen in recent years.

This is a new Israeli Government. We should try to build a relationship with it and this is what I intend to do. The current Palestinian Authority leadership also needs both Irish solidarity, financial support and political support internationally to re-establish legitimacy, to find a way of holding elections and, of course, to advance reconciliation, which is of great importance for a future Palestinian state. We will work on all of those issues, both with the Israeli Government and indeed with Palestinian authorities in an effort, as many people have asked for, to take action to try to bring about a peace process again that can deliver a dividend I believe we are all after.

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