Dáil debates

Thursday, 28 May 2009

Priority Questions

Middle East Peace Process.

2:00 pm

Photo of Billy TimminsBilly Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 1: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position with respect to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. [21947/09]

Photo of Pat BreenPat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 4: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will exhaust all possible avenues in conjunction with his EU counterparts to assist in the peace process with a view to finding a permanent solution to the Middle East conflict; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21899/09]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 4 together.

The search for peace in the Middle East is a major foreign policy priority for Ireland and for the European Union. The urgency of achieving that objective has been underlined by the events of the past six months. The crisis in Gaza at the end of the last year reversed the sense of momentum following the November 2007 Annapolis Conference. There is a real fear that events on the ground are moving in the wrong direction. At the same time there is a renewal of hope, driven primarily by the engagement of President Obama. If the present opportunity is not converted into a durable settlement, however, there could be a prolonged setback. In that context I very much welcome Secretary of State Clinton's unequivocal statement on settlements yesterday.

Ireland and its EU partners have been to the fore in promoting the vision of a settlement which will result in two sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, coexisting side by side in peace and security. While clearly difficult to achieve, that vision is now almost universally accepted as the only future which can ensure peace, and as the objective towards which the peace process must work. It is a matter of considerable disappointment that the only major player which does not yet accept that vision, other than the more extreme Palestinian groups, is the new Government of Israel. I hope that position will soon change.

I have paid very close attention to the Middle East since I became Minister for Foreign Affairs. I have made two visits to the region, as well as attending the international conference on Gaza held in Egypt in March. I have been able to discuss the position directly with key leaders in Israel, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, whose Foreign Minister I met last week, and Syria, where I had a full discussion with President Assad. I also met UN officers and agencies in the area, including Commissioner Karen Abu Zayd of UNRWA and Gaza Director John Ging.

I used these meetings both to hear at first hand the assessment of the main players and to offer Ireland's support for all those working towards a lasting solution. Both Ireland and the European Union are also significant donors to the Palestinian people and to groups working for peace and justice. I can assure the House that I will continue to give this issue a very high priority.

Outside parties, in particular the United States, the European Union and the Arab states, can play a crucial role in supporting and encouraging the peace process. Senator Mitchell has already made three visits to the region in his new role. President Obama has this month met Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas in Washington and will shortly be meeting President Mubarak. The Arab leaders have confirmed that their ground-breaking peace initiative remains on the table.

Ultimately it depends on the willingness of both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to see the common objective, and to show the courage, imagination and leadership to achieve it through direct negotiations on all the issues. The period of instability caused by the Gaza crisis has been followed by a period of reflection and changes of leadership. There is an urgent necessity now to re-establish momentum in the political process, through direct negotiations on the key issues and the honouring of previous commitments, and to demonstrate to the peoples of the Middle East that a peaceful settlement is still in sight and is being actively pursued. I will personally spare no effort to promote this objective in conjunction with my EU colleagues and with other relevant players.

Photo of Billy TimminsBilly Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The leader of Fine Gael, Deputy Kenny, and I went on a visit to Israel and Palestine recently. I acknowledge the assistance we received from the Minister's officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Their help was most welcome.

I have been to Jerusalem several times and I was struck by the absence of Palestinians in the new city of Jerusalem. In the mid-1980s they were visible in the streets but now they are almost entirely gone. I agree with the Minister that events on the ground are moving in the wrong direction. Gaza is tragic but an equal tragedy is happening covertly on the West Bank. The mechanisms that were initially to deal with the threat from suicide bombers have gone far beyond what is necessary for security.

Does the Minister agree that while there is consensus on the policy with regard to Palestine and Israel, and the statement by Secretary of State Clinton was welcome, implementing that policy is difficult? What mechanisms does he have to implement the two-state solution and a return to the pre-1967 borders? Will he make every effort to ensure no further settlements are built, that those built since March 2001 are destructed and that the wall is taken down where it has clearly been put up not for security reasons but to strangle a population and society?

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I take on board what the Deputy said about the situation on the West Bank where the policies run counter to facilitating a pathway to peace and a political settlement. The government of Mr. Salam Fayad and the Palestinian Authority has been weakened and undermined by the issues about which he spoke. In many instances, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, Mr. Fayad and others have been endeavouring to develop a governmental system with the support of the people, but that support is constantly and consistently undermined by the actions on the ground of the Israeli forces and the wall. It is paradoxical and contradictory in terms of what the ultimate objective should be. All policy should be directed towards facilitating and supporting moderate opinion to triumph in the Palestinian world and emerging with credibility in the machinery of government they are establishing. That is a concern.

We endeavour to have our voice heard in international fora, particularly the European Union. We have been very consistent all along that our overall developments in the Middle East process must be taken into account in considering our relationship with Israel. With the new Israeli Government, we are very clear that there must be recognition of a two-state solution and that the European Union must use its influence. The Union contributes very significantly to dealing with the situation in the Middle East to ensure both the Israeli Government and those on the Palestinian side realise that, as far as we are concerned, it must be a two-state solution. That is fundamentally linked with our relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government. Clearly, the Union is a key implementer of policy as a member of the Quartet. This figures in our engagement with the United States. As I outlined, President Obama met the key people. Again, there is a consistency in the international community around the two-state approach. We want to give the new players who have come onto the scene an opportunity to engage and chart a way forward. We have been very strong in our continuing communication and engagement with the Arab world and leaders who have a significant role to play in facilitating the brokering of a peace initiative and have significant influence on players. That has been useful and effective and we will continue on that pathway.

Photo of Pat BreenPat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the work the Minister has done in his discussions in the Middle East. He has visited Syria, Jerusalem, Egypt and most of the players in the region. However, is it not true that the European Union, as a body, has not done enough, although it has contributed a large amount of money for rebuilding works as a result of the conflict? Is it true that the Union is not working coherently to push Israel into a two-state solution? Today President Abbas meets President Obama in Washington. Only two weeks ago Prime Minister Netanyahu met President Obama. However, Israel is still not willing to discuss a two-state solution to the problem. Is the European Union, as a group of 27 countries, doing enough? Could it be more proactive rather than just contributing to the rebuilding of the region? As Deputy Timmins said, we were in the Gaza Strip a few weeks ago. We met a human rights lawyer who could not get permission to visit Brussels to tell his side of the story. He cannot get out of there; therefore, it is an open prison.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is a widely shared understanding in the European Union that the new Netanyahu Government must clearly demonstrate its commitment to a two-state solution and its willingness to abide by previous international agreements. That consensus is emerging within the Union. The messages have been very clearly sent to all concerned. We recently met Javier Solana, the head of EU external relations, when he came to Ireland. We had very comprehensive discussions on the Middle East. In many ways, as I said, there are pluses and minuses in the current scenario. One of the pluses is the initiative taken by President Obama, the prioritisation of the issue by the new US Administration and the appointment of Mr. George Mitchell. That presents an opportunity. With the European Union working in concert with the United States, there is an opportunity to gain momentum.

We have had the election of a new Israeli Government and its opening comments do not give rise to optimism. On the other hand, space must be allowed for the key envoys and players to see if they can work creatively towards creating a pathway to enable talks to begin and people to engage directly. There must be a desire for peace on the part of the Israeli Government and the Palestinian representatives. Palestinian unity is important to an ultimate solution, particularly in the context of what is happening in Gaza. We have repeatedly made the point that the opening of routes into Gaza must happen. The blockade is unacceptable. The humanitarian consequences are unacceptable and it undermines the capacity for a peaceful solution to emerge in the medium term.

Photo of Billy TimminsBilly Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It is important to point to the modus operandi of Hamas and Hezbollah. In so far as he has influence in Iran and Syria, the Minister should use it to influence these groups to stop their terrorist attacks. We received a brief from some Israeli parliamentarians who were at pains to point out that the campaign in Gaza was targeted at Hamas, but what we saw when we went out on the ground was in conflict with what we had been told. Deputy Breen and I saw the American International School where US Senator John Kerry was photographed. There were no Hamas people in the school. The idea was just to bomb the education system, infrastructure and industrial parks vacated in the last days of the campaign and obliterated. Will the Minister use his influence with his counterparts in the European Union and visit Gaza and the West Bank to try to push for movement on what everybody knows is the only solution?

Photo of Pat BreenPat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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What are the Minister's views on the new foreign Minister, Mr. Avigdor Lieberman? Is he an obstacle to the peace process?

Photo of Michael D HigginsMichael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Of course, he is.

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The UN Human Rights Council has established a panel to examine violations of international human rights and humanitarian law committed during the Gaza conflict. It will investigate allegations on all sides. The distinguished South African Mr. Richard Goldstone will head the inquiry. His three colleagues include the retired Irish Army officer Colonel Desmond Travers. The story of the conduct of the conflict is not over, notwithstanding the outcome of the panel of inquiry established by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

On the latter point, the answer is yes. In our meetings with President Assad and others we have urged that influence be brought to bear on the Palestinian groups with a view to moving towards the 1967 borders and the two-state solution. To be fair, the Egyptian Government is working very hard on that front to try to reach a position of reconciliation and unity. It is difficult and painstaking. There has been a series of meetings, but they have not borne fruit to date. Earlier this year we met the Egyptian Foreign Minister in Brussels. We also met the Turkish Foreign Minister and the Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority. They gave a good insight and that is the line they are pursuing.