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

We are here to address the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory and, in particular, the issues raised in the report published on 1 February by Amnesty International. The Seanad discussed this matter yesterday and the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence did so last week. I welcome those debates and the opportunity to set out Ireland's position.

Let me first say that I greatly respect Amnesty International and its important work, especially in terms of the contribution it makes to the promotion and protection of human rights. Ireland values the role Amnesty and other civil society organisations play in this regard. I note the publication of this detailed, substantial and comprehensive report, which paints a stark picture of the situation of the Palestinian people across Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territory. I have directed my officials to review the report in depth. My Department has already met representatives from Amnesty for an initial detailed exchange of views on the report.

The assertions in the Amnesty report echo those we have seen in a number of recent similar reports. Undoubtedly, these reports raise difficult questions for the Israeli Administration. I am extremely troubled by the way in which the human rights of Palestinians are impacted by the policies of the Israeli authorities and I look forward to a comprehensive debate on the issue. Our position on these matters will continue to be based on international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law, which sets out obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention for Israel as the occupying power, and on the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Ireland's approach is rooted in the illegality of Israel's occupation and the right of Palestinians to self-determination. Ireland has been consistently clear in that the occupation undermines the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, a right that is at the heart of a two-state solution. I have been frank and direct in my bilateral engagements with Israel on these issues, with my EU partners and at the UN Security Council in expressing concern regarding the unequal treatment of Palestinians and the application of different standards in the occupied Palestinian territory.

It is important that, as a member of the UN Security Council and the EU, Ireland remain a credible and effective actor in international forums in the context of our views on the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli Government. We are conscious of how the language we use will be interpreted. I have stated that the Irish Government does not use the term "apartheid" because we do not think it is helpful in this context. However, I share Deputies' concerns in this regard. Indeed, I am very concerned by some of the issues highlighted in the Amnesty report, for example, the widespread use of administrative detention for Palestinians, which allows Israel to arrest and detain a person without charge. International humanitarian law is clear that administrative detention should only be used in exceptional circumstances. I renew my call on Israel to comply with its obligations under international law in this regard. Ireland and the EU have repeatedly raised the treatment of Palestinian prisoners with Israel. At the UN Human Rights Council, Ireland has called on Israeli authorities, in accordance with their obligations under Article 9 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to refrain from conducting arbitrary arrests and to follow the acceptable procedure established by law regarding arrest and detention.

The Amnesty report refers to the human rights situation, not only in the occupied Palestinian territory, but also in Israel itself. It is imperative that the rights of non-Jewish citizens of Israel not be infringed and that there is respect and tolerance for the diversity of its population. I am fully committed to raising such issues of equality with Israel. Where Ireland has concerns about laws and practices that undermine equality among citizens and disregard the rights of minorities, particularly the Palestinian minority in Israel, we make our views clearly known to Israel. For example, we have expressed our concern about the nation-state law, in that we have concerns that it might enable discriminatory practices against non-Jewish citizens. Deputies can be assured that I will continue to be frank with Israel on my concerns in this regard.

It is important that, as a member of the Security Council and the EU, Ireland remain a strong voice in international forums in respect of our views on the treatment of Palestinians. Ireland will again raise these important issues in its statement on accountability at the Human Rights Council tomorrow.

I wish to address the expansion of illegal settlements. Ireland has been consistent and vocal in its opposition to settlements, which are unlawful under international law. This House adopted a resolution last May that declared that the scale, pace and nature of Israel's settlement policy amounted to unlawful de facto annexation. The constant expansion of settlements has a negative impact on the living conditions of Palestinians and undermines prospects for peace by further entrenching division and inequality. I have witnessed this myself, including when I visited the Palestinian community in Nabi Samwil just outside Jerusalem in November where I saw first-hand the impact of settlement expansion in Area C.

There are clear differences in how the planning system applies to Palestinians and settlers, which negatively affects Palestinian communities on a daily basis. Settlements degrade adjacent Palestinian agricultural land, severely impacting the olive harvest in particular. They also affect the availability of already scarce water resources and cause pollution. However, settlement expansion continues, along with associated infrastructural projects designed to meet the needs of an ever-increasing settler population. I am seriously concerned by the recent announcement of further settlement expansion in the West Bank, including the Lower Aqueduct plan in East Jerusalem. These plans threaten the contiguity of a future Palestinian state, and the world should take note.

Ireland has urged the Israeli Government to cease settlement activity. I raised these issues directly in my meetings in Israel last November with President Herzog and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yair Lapid. This is an issue that we consistently raise at the UN Security Council, including at the monthly briefing on the Middle East on 23 February.

Another issue that I wish to highlight in this debate is the intensification of settler-related violence in recent years. According to the UN, the total number of settler attacks across the West Bank that have resulted in injury and-or property damage in 2021 increased by 46% compared with the same period in 2020. The disparity in conviction rates between Israeli settlers and Palestinians who have committed acts of violence is acutely worrying. Those responsible for carrying out violent attacks must be held fully accountable, as victims of such brutal attacks deserve justice regardless of whether they are Israeli or Palestinian.

Turning to the broader issue of the space for civil society, I wish to restate my support for the essential role that civil society actors play in scrutinising the actions of governments globally, including in Ireland and Israel. As I have previously stated, I am deeply concerned by Israel's decision last October to designate certain Palestinian civil society organisations as terrorist entities. Ireland will continue to support Palestinian civil society and human rights defenders and their critical role in promoting international law, peace, human rights and democratic values. Ireland has been proactive in ensuring these issues are highlighted in the UN Security Council, including by supporting the call for a debate in November on the NGO designations as well as on announcements regarding planned expansion and the construction of illegal settlements. I raised our concerns directly in my meetings in Israel last November.

I am troubled by the ongoing tensions in East Jerusalem and the clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police that took place last Monday. Reports of excessive use of force by police must be investigated. These incidents serve only to inflame an already tense situation. Ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, I would recall the need to respect the status quoof holy sites fully and call for the utmost restraint on the part of police in line with the principles of international law. Peaceful worshippers must be allowed to exercise their right to freedom of religion and worship freely and without threats, violence or provocation in accordance with the status quo.

Ireland is firmly committed to a negotiated two-state solution that ends the occupation that began in 1967, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, on the basis of international law, including relevant UN Security Council resolutions. That has been Ireland's position and it continues to be. We will continue to work with partners to revive a political process in line with international law - in this regard, I have been speaking to a number of international partners about how Ireland may be able to show leadership in the months ahead - that ensures equal rights and is acceptable to both parties. This is something that I state clearly and often, but I know it is not easy to achieve. Nevertheless, it is vital to establish a genuine political horizon.

The principles of equality, inclusion and human rights are essential components in the achievement of lasting peace and democracy. Repressive, discriminatory and provocative policies and actions, such as those documented in the Amnesty report, take us further away than ever from the prospect of achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.

Ireland has nine months or so left on the Security Council. As I have told some of the Deputies opposite, I intend to try to use the influence and role we have on the Security Council to make some progress through Irish leadership, in partnership with other like-minded countries, in the context of the Middle East peace process. Unfortunately, the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians has gone backwards in recent years.

There is an onus on the international community to introduce new thinking and to ensure that there is parity of esteem between both parties to this conflict. I hope that Ireland will be able to use its position and privilege on the United Nations Security Council to be able to create leverage in that space over the next nine months or so. I hope I will be able to work with other parties in this House in that regard.

See this speech in context