Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I have just returned in recent days from the UN high-level week in New York, where the Middle East was a central focus of my agenda. This is a timely debate as we assess the horrendous situation in Gaza and the West Bank and as we look at the implications for wider regional security. I hope that this week's announcement of a proposed peace plan is a step towards a lasting peace that is so desperately needed. Progress is being made to secure an agreement that brings an end to the violence and an end to what I believe to be a genocide in Gaza, secures the release of the hostages and ensures that vital humanitarian aid gets into Gaza. I welcome the sincere engagement of states in the region, representatives of many of which I met with in recent days, to secure a path to peace, and their willingness to work with the US, the EU and other international partners to achieve this goal. I also hope Hamas now seizes the opportunity to lay down its arms and release all the hostages.

The conflict, the genocide, has gone on for far too long and with an unconscionable human cost. When we look to Gaza, we continue to witness unspeakable scenes. Ireland's consistent position since the beginning of the conflict has been to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access at scale into Gaza. The IPC has confirmed that famine is occurring in Gaza and is projected to spread further across the strip. This is a man-made famine. Hostages remain in captivity. The daily statistics are incomprehensibly appalling: the numbers who have died of starvation, the numbers killed as they desperately seek food, the number of UN workers, medics and journalists killed as they work to save lives and document the horrors of this conflict. The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. That is no longer just my view or the view of this House or this country; it is now the view of a UN commission of inquiry. This is a formal conclusion of what we have been saying for some time, and Ireland takes the findings extremely seriously. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza during the 23 months of this horrific situation. The devastating death toll of innocents is an affront to humanity. Tens of thousands have been injured and left permanently disabled without the medical attention and services they require. I was told by a high-ranking UN official in recent days of children having to incur amputations without anaesthetics because Israel will not let the anaesthetics into Gaza. Thousands more are missing or buried under rubble. I think of all the children killed, maimed, orphaned and abducted on 7 October. I struggle to find the words for these atrocities, these crimes against humanity.

Despite this horror, humanitarian workers and medics, UNRWA, the wider UN system and international organisations continue to do their utmost for the people of Gaza. Under extreme pressure, and despite what must feel like insurmountable obstacles, they keep going. It is also with their determination in mind that the Government continues to act to confront and end this genocide. That was my message to international partners at the UN last week, that it is time to move from words to action. We urgently need to see an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and we welcome the ongoing efforts in this regard. We need to bring an end to the violence, get the hostages out and get humanitarian aid in.

I commend the efforts to date by mediators, including the continuing efforts of the US, Egypt, Qatar and others. These negotiations are now at a crucial stage. I urge everybody - Israel, Hamas, everybody - to engage positively and flexibly to secure this urgently needed agreement. We know in this country, on this island, better than most that the way to end all horrific conflict is through a political pathway, through engagement, through a peace process. No peace process is perfect, but I know from talking to the leaders and foreign ministers of Arab nations in recent weeks the amount of work they have put into getting a plan and engaging with President Trump to try to bring forward a plan on which the world can speak with one voice and say, "Stop. End this. Here is a way forward."

While the world is rightly focused on the horrors playing out in Gaza, we cannot be distracted from the ever-worsening situation in the West Bank. The expansion of settlements, the displacement of tens of thousands and rampant settler violence continue unabated. Life for Palestinians in the West Bank is being restricted from all sides. Since October 2023, the Israeli Government has approved 49 new settlements. The decision to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area is unacceptable and a violation of international law. Since January of this year, at least 40,000 people have been displaced. Beyond this, the levels of settler violence are now unprecedented. One thousand attacks have been documented in 230 communities across the West Bank since the beginning of this year.

Let me be clear: these developments predate the ongoing situation and the events of the past 23 months. For years, Israel has conducted a policy of marginalisation and oppression of Palestinian people in Gaza and in the West Bank. A stark example of this oppression is the arbitrary arrest and detention by Israel of hundreds of Palestinian children. Children report being physically and emotionally abused while in prisons, many held without charge or trial. Ireland will continue to work with the international community to ensure that the violations of law and human rights in the West Bank do not go unchecked.

Against this background, I view the two-state solution not as an aspiration but as an absolute legal obligation. There can be no interests that outweigh the fundamental principles of human rights. I welcomed the decisions of the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Belgium, Portugal and others to recognise the State of Palestine over recent weeks. There are now over 150 countries globally that recognise Palestinian statehood. Ireland took that decision last year as a recognition of the principle that Palestine should be able to vindicate the full rights of a state, including self-determination, self-governance, territorial integrity and security. The recent recognitions are also a response to the intolerable humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza and the need to inject fresh impetus into bringing about a just, lasting peace where Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in two states - Israel and Palestine - in peace, security and dignity. This is not insignificant. At a time when the multilateral order is perhaps the most challenged it has been in its history, progress has been made. I firmly reject the bizarre and despicable suggestion that recognising Palestine is an aggressive act or any form of reward for terrorism. It is the exact opposite. It is a confirmation of our commitment to a peaceful path, to the rule of law, to an international order where states can work together on a common footing. Criticisms from those who consistently choose unilateral actions, military force and, indeed, the engagement of genocide are not credible.

Ireland was an active participant in the UN high-level conference on the implementation of the two-state solution, which the Taoiseach attended last week. As co-chair of a working group of the conference, alongside Türkiye, Ireland was part of a core group of countries that negotiated the outcome document of the conference, known as the New York Declaration, at its meeting. That document was endorsed by 142 countries in a vote at the UN General Assembly on 12 September. Ireland is now part of a strong coalition of international partners ready to press ahead with securing and implementing the two-state solution. The meeting last week demonstrated that the vast majority of UN member states are committed to empowering a sovereign and economically viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Israel and forging regional and international partnerships in support of the two-state solution.

Last week, I was proud to represent our country at the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, an alliance that will be the follow-up vehicle to the work of the UN conference. Given the catastrophic situation in Gaza, the immediate goal of the global alliance is an end to the war and an end to the genocide and to secure immediate humanitarian relief at scale. At the meeting in New York, I announced that Ireland will host a meeting of the global alliance in Dublin in the coming months. The meeting will be an opportunity to share some of our own experience of what a successful peace process can look like, like what we saw in Northern Ireland, with relevance to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including creating the appropriate conditions for a ceasefire and underlining the importance of civil society.

No two conflicts are the same but we are eager in this country to share our learnings from our peace process. The Dublin meeting will also draw a clear link between the global alliance and the implementation of the New York declaration agreed at the UN high-level conference in July. This is another practical action Ireland is taking to drive the implementation of a two-state solution. Ireland has been to the forefront of member states at an EU level pressing for an appropriate response to Israel’s actions in Gaza and in the West Bank. Ireland together with Spain first called on the EU to undertake a review of Israel’s compliance with its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in February 2024. I welcomed the finalisation of that review in June this year. It is crystal clear from the review that Israel is in breach of all human rights obligations under the agreement. This is a significant finding of fact.

Ireland has consistently called for the EU to now take concrete action in response to the egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles. In September, we welcomed the proposals put forward by the European Commission to suspend the core trade-related provisions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. This has the potential to be a major moment. For the very first time since this genocidal activity in Gaza began, the European Commission - not any one individual member state - has proposed suspending the trade-related provisions of the agreement. I accept it is far too late but we now have a proposal for effective sanctions on the table. In practice, this would mean that imports from Israel would be subject to significant tariffs in accessing EU markets. This is important. There is a lot of focus on whether the US is the only country that can put pressure on Israel. Politically, it might be the case that the Prime Minister of Israel will only listen to the President of the United States but economically Europe has the ability to play a part in changing the calculus in Netanyahu's actions to date. The proposal represents an extremely significant step forward. It is now time for countries to put up their hand, yay or nay, in favour of the proposals. This is an acknowledgement that the EU must act in the face of the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid - people are starving while trucks of food are within touching distance, if only the blockade was lifted - intensifying military operations by Israel and the decision of the Israeli authorities to continue to advance the settlement plan in the so-called E1 area of the West Bank, an effort to further undermine the two-state solution. The package also supports sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and violent settlers as well as on Hamas. Ireland supports these proposals. In addition, the Commission announced it is putting bilateral support to Israel on hold with the exception of support to civil society and the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Institution.

In terms of next steps, the trade-related proposals need to be adopted by the Council with a qualified majority and further sanctions require a unanimous decision. The EU now has an opportunity to demonstrate to its international partners and, crucially, to its citizens, that it is ready to act in the face of the catastrophic situation in Gaza and stand up for our core principles, values and international law. Ireland is working to urge fellow member states to vote in favour of this package of measures to supports the proposals. I have also requested that the Council be convened as a matter of urgency. It seems quite unforgivable in the face of genocide and famine that there is not an emergency convening to have a vote on this. I co-authored a letter with four other member states calling for an urgent convening. We could vote on this today and should. We continue our diplomatic campaign to seek an earlier meeting of the Council to vote on this package of measures. The Irish people are united in righteous outrage at the hideous scenes in Gaza. My office receives hundreds, if not thousands, of petitions a week from citizens of this country voicing their deeply and sincerely held convictions about the atrocities taking place across Palestine. Thousands of citizens rightly protest against the horrors in Gaza on a weekly basis. Teachers write to me dumbfounded about how they can teach the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when students witness daily violations of those rights through the images we see from Gaza. Medical workers stand in solidarity with their counterparts in Gaza who are working under the most extreme and untenable situations, some of whom I have spoken with.

I am keenly aware that a number of Irish citizens including Members of the Oireachtas are participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla. The peaceful efforts of those on board reflect an understandable desire by many people around the world to urgently address the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza as endorsed by all parties and groups in this House in our debate yesterday. Reports of attacks are extraordinarily concerning. I urge all parties to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the flotilla and to respect international law and international humanitarian law. The welfare and safety of the people aboard has to be a priority of the international community. In accordance with the wishes of the families and friends of those on board the flotilla, who were here yesterday, I issued a statement last night, as they asked, clearly outlining that international law must be respected in relation to the flotilla and any violation of international law must have consequences. I have also been engaging with my Spanish counterpart specifically on this, the Spanish presence in the waters nearby and the fact that any Irish citizen will be treated as European citizen in the context of that flotilla, which is important.

It is that righteous outrage of our citizens and elected representatives that has driven Ireland to take domestic measures in response to the egregious situation in Gaza and the West Bank. As a commitment to the two-state solution and to upholding international law, the Government is advancing work on the commitment in the programme for Government relating to an occupied territories Bill. This is an area where Ireland has been at the forefront in taking action. In June, the Government approved the general scheme of the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (prohibition of importation of goods) Bill. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade subsequently held a number of hearings and received submissions representing a range of views and perspectives, for which I thank the committee. The committee has published its report. I acknowledge the presence of members of the committee and thank them for their diligence and dedication throughout the process. Work is well under way to analyse the report and its recommendations with a view to getting the best and most robust piece of legislation. The next steps in the process including the timeline for progress of the Bill will be considered by Government very shortly. I intend to meet Senator Black, subject to her availability, next week.

A number of other EU member states recently announced they are taking similar steps to ban the importation of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank including Spain, Slovenia, Belgium and the Netherlands. In many cases, we are sharing notes and information on our legislative plans. These initiatives are welcome and I hope they demonstrate the growing will of the international community to take action to try to force the current Israeli Government to change its course. Let me clear: alongside the occupied territories Bill, OTB, our preference is for robust EU-level action. If we want to make a difference, move the dial and have an impact, the proposals put forward by the European Commission need to be passed and enacted. We stand ready to take further national measures in response to the situation. I am reviewing options in this regard. This includes taking forward the work the Taoiseach outlined to the UN last week to prevent individual members of the government of Israel from entering our country in keeping with steps taken by other EU and like-minded partners.

Last month, I was pleased to welcome the arrival of a further 18 Palestinians from Gaza, all of whom are holders of long-stay visas and the majority of whom will study in our country. They are very welcome here. I am pleased they are here. Since the beginning of the crisis, my Department has supported the travel of more than 200 people from Gaza to Ireland. Further evacuations are planned. As we can imagine, this is an extraordinarily challenging area. I thank my Department, diplomats, colleagues and countries in the region for their assistance. We continue to explore options to assist individuals in Gaza. Unfortunately, travel cannot be guaranteed and depends on many factors some of which rest outside the control of the Government of Ireland. That said, I hope those new arrivals will experience the warm Irish welcome we are known for globally. I wish them every success during their time here. The Government also approved the evacuation of up to 30 sick children from Gaza last year. So far, two successful medical evacuations have taken place and planning is under way for a third. This kind of practical support - not just words but actions - will continue at the same time as our efforts to move the dial politically at a European Union and international level.

Turning to the wider region, the fates of Lebanon and Syria are intertwined with Palestinian statehood and broader steps towards mutual recognition, peaceful coexistence and co-operation among all states in the region. The international community agreed to make a renewed effort to improve Syria-Israel and Lebanon-Israel relations with the aim of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Ireland’s connection and commitment to Lebanon remain strong. I had the pleasure of meeting the Foreign Minister, Mr. Rajji, during UN high-level week. We discussed the various challenges confronting Lebanon and its people but also welcomed the progress made in the past year. After too many years of external interference, Lebanon must be allowed to rebuild within secure borders. I hope to see Lebanon restore security control over all of its territory. For this, we need to see Hezbollah lay down its arms and for Israel to fully withdraw its remaining presence from Lebanon. I hope displaced communities on both sides of the border can return to their homes in security. UNIFIL has been central to our commitment to Lebanon. I am in no doubt of the valuable role that the force and the Irish contingent play. We welcome the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate until December 2026. The renewed mandate gives the government of Lebanon time to secure the south. I am still concerned about this mission ending at a time we are trying to build up the Lebanese Armed Forces.

During my visit to Lebanon earlier this year, my counterparts impressed on me the important role UNIFIL plays in supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and in implementing the ceasefire agreement. Ireland will continue to support the work of UNIFIL and it must be allowed to carry out its mandate.

Let me take this opportunity to emphasise that the deliberate targeting of UNIFIL personnel or installations by any party is a violation of international humanitarian law. Let me also state on the record of the House my ongoing efforts to secure justice for Private Rooney and those others caught up that evening in his brutal murder.

Syria has emerged from decades of civil war and a brutal regime. A stable and united Syria is essential to the stability of the region. Syria's future must be decided by its people. This transition comes during a difficult context where armed groups that emerged during civil war are still in existence. Israeli strikes on Syrian forces, attacks on communities inside Syria and expanded occupation of Syrian territory undermine efforts to rebuild. Turkish strikes on the northern border are not justified and do not help to secure a unitary state.

The Syrian people have a long road ahead and Ireland wishes to support them in rebuilding a Syria that is inclusive and respectful of all religious traditions and ethnicities and respectful of Syrian women. We continue to provide significant humanitarian aid in response to the Syrian crisis. Ireland pledged more than €22 million to the Syrian crisis in 2025 at the Brussels IX Conference in March. Ireland supports the EU’s speedy removal of most economic sanctions on Syria and will continue to encourage the new Government’s commitment to truth, justice and reconciliation.

Iran has been at the centre of much of the instability in the Middle East for many years. Its continuing support for armed non-state actors in the region, including among its immediate neighbours, and its efforts to export its revolution have not served either the country or its people. We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Iran, especially the denial of rights to Iranian women and minority groups. Iran is also contributing to war in Europe through its supply of weapons to Russia in its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. The recent war between Israel and Iran was a very significant escalation in the regional conflict and risked dragging in countries that have not been directly involved. The attacks on nuclear sites were reckless. We remain concerned that this conflict might reignite and derail wider peace efforts.

We cannot ignore that much of the tension in the Middle East arises from Iran's nuclear programme. Ireland has been consistent, in line with long-standing policy on non-proliferation, that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran remains in breach of its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA. This has led to the reimposition of UN and EU sanctions against Iran. At the UN General Assembly last week, I met with the Iranian foreign minister, Mr. Araghchi. I impressed upon him the importance of Iran engaging meaningfully with international partners, including the US and the E3, and with the International Atomic Energy Agency to reach an agreement on its use of nuclear technology. Even with the reimposition of sanctions, I urge Iran to return to the talks table to address the legitimate concerns of the international community. Further conflict would bring a very real risk of regional spillover. This would be disastrous for all the peoples of the region. We must find a way off the path of violence. I continue to urge all parties across the region to exercise restraint and engage in de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.

Against these complex regional realities, Ireland is taking action and pressing others to do so. Above all, we need an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages, a massive, unimpeded surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza and a political process towards a two-state solution. It is my hope that the announcement on Monday can help to bring this about and lay the groundwork to achieve peace in the interests of the people of both Palestine and Israel. All peace processes are imperfect but the genocide, killing and famine must stop. I welcome this debate. I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues on Ireland's contributions to peace and security in the Middle East.

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