Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

Achieving a just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been a priority for this Government, with Ireland’s foreign policy on this issue clear and consistent and grounded in the commitment to upholding international law. The agreement on a ceasefire and the hostage deal represents welcome progress. It has brought desperately-needed respite to Palestinians in Gaza and relief to the people of Israel, although we all know it is a very fragile ceasefire and something that needs to be worked on. I commend the efforts of the US, as well as Qatar, Türkiye and Egypt, in securing this much-needed agreement. I also commend efforts to progress implementation of what has been agreed. The international community, Ireland included, must play its part if these efforts are to succeed.

In this context, the adoption of a resolution on Gaza by the UN Security Council, the first in many years, is a further step towards implementation of the peace plan. The ceasefire is nevertheless fragile, as I have mentioned, and must be preserved. All parties must adhere to their commitments in full. It is clear that this is not happening, given the fact that many innocent civilians have been killed, even in recent days. All parties must desist from any actions inconsistent with what has been agreed and continue to negotiate in good faith to ensure full implementation. Our current focus is on supporting efforts to build up this fragile ceasefire and we call on all parties to work to ensure peace efforts are successful and to refrain from further violence. The primary focus at EU level right now is ensuring the success of the ceasefire and the peace deal and on making contributions to international efforts.

We also must urgently address the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza. I mentioned this before. We had an update at the Council earlier last week where we were told that over 40,000 young children are still at risk of starvation. While there is a significant increase in the number of humanitarian trucks allowing aid to flow into Gaza, it is nowhere near enough. I reiterate that I intend to write to the EU High Representative to see what further political pressure Europe and all of our counterparts can put on Israel to make sure it lifts the significant blockade on some of the aid that is due to get in. These were among the issues discussed at the most recent Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels last Monday.

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