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

Amnesty International is a respected NGO and I value the role it and other civil society organisations play on these issues. The assertions in the report echo those we have seen in a number of recent similar reports. These reports undoubtedly raise difficult questions for the Israeli Administration.

Ireland’s position on these matters is, and will continue to be, based on international law, including international human rights law and Israel’s obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention as the occupying power in the occupied Palestinian territory, and on the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Ireland’s priority is not to focus on language for the sake of it but to try to find a way to change reality on the ground. Therefore, Ireland has been consistently forthright in expressing concern regarding the unequal treatment of Palestinians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. Ireland will continue to raise regularly our concerns regarding discriminatory practices towards the Palestinian people directly with the Israeli authorities, including during visits to the region, as well as at EU and UN level. I have visited the region on five occasions and have raised these issues bilaterally with my Israeli counterparts during those visits.

Ireland has also been proactive in consistently highlighting these issues, including demolitions and settlement expansion, at the UN Security Council during our current term. Ireland has maintained a strong approach at monthly meetings on the situation in the Middle East, most recently at the council meeting on 22 March, and has raised particular issues of concern, including the designation of Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organisations and housing plans by Israel in East Jerusalem.

We will continue to study the recommendations and conclusions of the Amnesty International report and will use it to influence the approach that we take towards trying to protect and encourage a peace process that can deliver a two-state solution, which is ultimately our priority.

See this speech in context