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

I thank the Deputy for the question and his kind comments. Ireland’s position on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is clear. The continued establishment and expansion of settlements is a violation of international law and is unacceptable. This position was reiterated at the UN Security Council on 19 December, which focused on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334. On that occasion, Ireland also led a joint press statement by a number of states demanding that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and that it fully respect all of its legal obligations in that regard. Ireland’s embassy in Tel Aviv also raises the issue directly in its regular contacts with the Israeli Government, and Ireland's representative office in Ramallah has made a number of visits along with European Union colleagues to sensitive sites of concern in the West Bank, including Masafer Yatta.

It is deeply concerning that the stated intentions of the Israeli Government continue to show disregard for the clear international consensus on this issue. It is important that the international community supports the Palestinian Authority in its recourse to legal and political responses to the occupation. I had the opportunity to discuss this issue in a phone call with the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riad Malki, on 18 January, during which he shared his deep concern at the deteriorating situation. I also welcome that on 23 January, the Foreign Affairs Council provided an opportunity for both Prime Minister Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Malki to raise these troubling developments with the European Union collectively. Ireland remains committed to supporting all efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting two-state solution, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, on the basis of international law and agreed international parameters.

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