Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no IDA Ireland office in Israel. A part-time business consultant represents IDA Ireland in Israel, which is quite different. There are no plans to have an IDA Ireland office or permanent staff member in Israel. We have part-time consultants in many countries in order that we have some representation on the ground. The settlement policy in Israel is wrong and we condemn it. We will not have any dealings, through this consultant, with any Israeli companies that are active in the settlement areas. Israel's treatment of Palestinians is wrong. There is no equivocation from the Government on that part. We need a bit of balance. It is a democracy. When it comes to the rights of women and LGBT people, it is first and best in the region, compared with all of its neighbours, which needs to be acknowledged. Israeli Arabs and Palestinians can vote in elections. They are present in the parliament, they can serve as ministers, they can serve in the army, they can head up universities, and they can even captain the football team. That would not have been the case for black people in South Africa.

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