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

In response to Deputy Haughey, we are very much working with other like-minded European Union member states to push for a roadmap to a two-state solution. We can never again allow this to happen and we can never again go back to a situation where, essentially, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is put on the backburner. There has to be very proactive international diplomatic and political effort and pressure on all sides to get to a resolution of this. With regard to other comments that have been made, that means the end of settlements in the West Bank. Even the announcements overnight by Israeli Government Ministers in respect of very significant resources being allocated to fast-track civilian responses and to supply arms and weapons are shocking. I am appalled by that. It has to stop. We have to create a credible roadmap to a two-state solution and that cannot happen if there is continued aggressive and violent settlement activity in the West Bank. I have been there and have spoken to victims of this, and as this is going on in Gaza, it is also going on in the West Bank. That is not acceptable and is counter to any potential peaceful roadmap into the future.

Deputy Harkin mentioned QMV and Deputy Andrews also raised this point. There is a divided position within Europe and history plays a big role in this. Germany has a view because of the Shoah, and Austria likewise. Ireland has a very clear position on the two-state solution, as Deputy Haughey said. Deputy Farrell pointed out that we want the violence to end, and we are in favour of international humanitarian law being applied and UN resolutions being adhered to. Fundamentally, that is our position and it is very straightforward. This is a country that has experienced conflict resolution. We experienced a terrible war, which should never have happened, and we experienced terrible civilian loss during that war. Therefore, we are very focused on what we want here. On the other side, the European Union has quadrupled humanitarian aid to the Palestinians to €100 million as a result of this conflict.

There is a need for a European Union-Palestine trade association agreement and a much stronger, structured relationship between the Palestinian Authority and the European Union. Rather than trying to work with all of the issues around QMV, the conditionality of the clauses of the Israel-EU agreement should be worked on to make sure they have been fulfilled and adhered to. I see another track developing - we have been pushing this with Belgium and others - to have a stronger, structured relationship between the Palestinian Authority and the European Union almost to the level of a trade association agreement and encompassing all of the aid and support that we give.

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