Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

I am sure the Deputy is aware that in the case she referenced at the International Court of Justice, Ireland was one of the countries that intervened in that determination to ensure Israeli settlements were deemed to be illegal from the point of view of international law. Our Attorney General went to the Hague to take part in that case. That was one of a number of actions taken by Ireland to hold Israel accountable for its current actions and to support the Palestinian people in the face of the genocide that is happening. As part of that, we have supported UNRWA to the highest level because it is they key mechanism to get aid into the country. We have, along with the international community, supported UN resolution after UN resolution in an effort to change the dial. When I served as Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Ireland was one of the very first countries, along with Spain, to put pressure on the EU to try to turn the dial and move on article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement to ensure that Israel is held to account for its human rights violations.

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