Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I reiterate my strong concerns as to where we find ourselves in relation to the ceasefire agreement that is fragile. It is so important that all parties to that ceasefire agreement adhere to its terms. It is absolutely vital that Hamas releases the hostages and that Israel continues to observe the ceasefire. A return to violence and to conflict is almost unimaginable in terms of the scale of devastation it could bring at a time when we are finally beginning to see humanitarian aid getting into Gaza. That needs to be the focus. That is where Ireland's focus will continue to be, on speaking up and speaking out in favour of a ceasefire, peace and ultimately a two-state solution.

I will travel to the Munich Security Conference in the coming days and meet with the Palestinian Prime Minister, the Jordanian foreign minister, the Egyptian foreign minister and other actors in the region to continue to make that case and do all that we can to help. I am deeply concerned by the large-scale military operations conducted by Israel in the West Bank in recent weeks, in particular in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, with the stated objective of suppressing militant groups. I am concerned about the use of air strikes and other disproportionate measures resulting in casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure and the displacement of many thousands of Palestinian people. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has made it clear that Israeli forces' operations in the occupied West Bank need to abide by international human rights standards on the use of force; these standards remain regardless of the motivation of the operation. I share doubts expressed regarding the appropriateness of this type of military response, to put it mildly. I also question the wisdom of undertaking operations of this scale at a time when efforts are focused on the implementation of the ongoing ceasefire and the hostage release deal.

The shocking rise in settler violence that we have witnessed over recent months is also of deep concern. I welcome that the European Union has adopted successive rounds of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers under its global human rights sanctions regime. We have seen more instances of settler violence in recent weeks and it is important that further listings are also considered.

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