Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cairns for her contribution. I acknowledge her long-standing support and that of her party for the recognition of the state of Palestine. I am proud to be Taoiseach in a country where there has been, for a significant period, a political consensus about the importance of this. We have division in this House on many occasions, which is right and proper in a Parliament and Dáil, but there are rare moments where we can be unified in speaking with one voice for the people of this country, who wanted us to recognise the state of Palestine. They do not do that naively or, as some of our critics say today, to virtue signal. They do it because they passionately believe in a two-state solution and they believe, forgetting governments and political figures for a moment, that the people of Israel and Palestine have a right to live side by side in two states in peace and security. If you believe in a two-state solution, it is important that you recognise the existence of two states.

Deputy Cairns said she wished it happened sooner. I can understand why she would say that. It was always our wish and, I believe, the wish of other countries that have recognised Palestine today, to move as part of a peace process, but sadly we are at a time where a just and comprehensive peace settlement seems further away than ever, and we cannot wait forever to recognise the state of Palestine. I am pleased we managed to move in lockstep with other countries, with Norway and Spain. The three countries have powerful historical track records in the Middle East and wanting to see peace and a two-state solution. I expect other countries to follow in the coming weeks. The Deputy will have heard a number of other countries in recent weeks indicate their wish to follow. I am respectful of the fact that everyone has their own national process.

Regarding the International Criminal Court, Ireland respects the work of the court. I am conscious that the prosecutor has sought a certain position and now I believe the judges of the criminal court need to make a decision on that. I do not wish to cut across that. Ireland will always abide by the rules of the International Criminal Court, as I would expect to be the case.

We debate and discuss the occupied territories Bill regularly. There is clear legal advice to the Government on this. That legal advice, in short, is that trade agreements are a European competence. I say honestly here that I am continuing to push at a European level, as my predecessor did and as the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, does, for the review of the association agreement, because it has human rights clauses in it. The human rights clauses were not put in it to have nice flowery language, to pad it out or to make it longer. They are real and meaningful words. I am frustrated that we have not yet been successful in persuading people of the merits of the need for that review. We continue that work.

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