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

I propose to take Questions No. 13 to 18, inclusive, together.

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and I wrote a joint letter to the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, on 14 February expressing our deep concern at the deteriorating situation in Israel and Gaza, and particularly its impact on women and children. With the risk of an even greater humanitarian catastrophe posed by Israeli military operations in Rafah, and all that occurred and continues to occur in Gaza since October 2023, we asked that the EU Commission undertake an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel association agreement. Article 2 of the association agreement provides that "relations between the parties... shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles in their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement".

Given the urgency of the situation, we hope that the Commission will undertake the review as soon as possible and if it considers Israel to be in breach of its obligations, that it will propose measures to the Council for adoption. Such measures could include suspending the agreement, in whole or in part. It would then be for the Council to decide how to proceed.

Our letter also addressed several other important issues. We reiterated our total condemnation of Hamas' indiscriminate terrorist attacks on 7 October and we called for the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining hostages. We also expressed our concern at the alleged involvement of staff members of UNRWA in the Hamas attack but said that UNRWA must be allowed to continue its vital work in Gaza and that EU support for UNRWA must be maintained. As the House will be aware the Government has increased our national contribution to €20 million. Our letter also recalled that the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take immediate and effective measures to ensure urgently-needed basic services and humanitarian assistance are provided in Gaza. These orders are binding.

President von der Leyen has acknowledged receipt of the letter. I expect the Commission to revert with a substantial response to our serious concerns as soon as possible. The request for a review of the association agreement at EU level was discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council, FAC, on 19 February, which was attended by the Tánaiste. I will raise it again at the European Council meeting later this week. We will continue to raise Ireland's concerns about the desperate situation in Gaza at every available opportunity. We urgently need a lasting ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the provision of much-needed food, medicine and utilities to the people of Gaza.

Finally, as we set out in our letter, a two-state solution represents the only way to end the cycle of violence and to bring peace and security to the people of Israel and Palestine. We will continue to work with the EU and our Arab and international partners to secure precisely that outcome.

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