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

Ireland plays a leadership role at European Union level in taking a consistent, clear, firm position on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. I work closely with EU partners to ensure that the Israeli and Palestinian conflict remains central to the EU's foreign policy. At the Foreign Affairs Council on 23 January, EU foreign ministers had an exchange with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, and Palestinian foreign minister, Dr. Riyad al-Maliki. We gave them the opportunity to brief EU ministers on the up-to-date situation. That resulted in the commitment that we pushed, with other like-minded states, to set up a high-level political dialogue between the European Union and Palestinian Authority. The Foreign Affairs Council discussed the issue again yesterday. The EU issued a joint statement, which is encouraging, on behalf of all member states on recent developments in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, which stated unambiguously that Israel must stop settlement expansion, prevent settler violence and ensure the perpetrators are held to account. The best way forward is to try to build a critical mass within the EU and internationally. It is easy to take a brave stand independently but we have to ask whether it has an impact.

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