Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 61: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he still believes, as he stated to Dail Éireann on 13 July 2011, that the continuing Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories is at the heart of the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict, that it is the continuing occupation, and the creation and growth of illegal settlements on the occupied lands, which are now the major obstacles to peace; if so, if he agrees that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians alone will not remove these obstacles to peace; and if he will outline to Dáil Éireann the concrete steps he is willing to take in order to galvanise influence on Israel from the outside world in this regard. [9999/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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It still remains very much my conviction that the continuing Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories and the growth of illegal settlements on occupied lands represent the major obstacles to securing political progress in the Middle East peace process. I have visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in recent weeks and had an opportunity to see for myself the direct impact of the occupation on the Palestinian population, particularly on the West Bank. My visit to the proposed new E1 settlement on the fringes of east Jerusalem was particularly instructive in that regard.

In my subsequent discussions with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, and the Foreign Minister, Mr. Lieberman, I made clear how continued settlement expansion and a failure to take decisive action to end the blockade of Gaza were only extending the conflict and reducing the prospects for meaningful substantive peace talks getting under way, peace talks which I had also been assured by the Prime Minister were also very much their objective.

I believe both sides remain committed to a negotiated settlement and equally recognise that there is no alternative to direct negotiations aimed at achieving a comprehensive and honourable peace deal. The challenge, as ever, for all concerned with promoting peace in the Middle East, is how to fashion the appropriate environment and climate of confidence to allow serious peace negotiations to get under way. What are most urgently required are positive confidence building measures, particularly on the part of Israel, to instil the necessary confidence that real progress could be achieved, were substantive peace talks to resume. I urged the Prime Minister to come forward with such a package of confidence building measures as soon as possible.

No one is under any doubt that the prospects for achieving a viable two-state solution are fast diminishing. I remain determined to continue highlighting, with EU and international partners, all the pertinent issues relating to the ongoing Israeli occupation and impress on both sides the need for these dramatic gestures and acts of political will which would help to substantially transform the current depressing situation.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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As the Tánaiste knows, in the 1988 agreement the PLO agreed to accept 22% of the entire landmass of what was originally Palestine. Remarkably, we have not moved on and reached a settlement based on that extremely generous agreement. At the time there were approximately 190,000 Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories, the West Bank in particular. Today there are 500,000. How long will the European Union and the international community allow to continue this defiance of international law, this reprehensible behaviour, of which I understand a recent EU report leaked to the international media is extremely condemnatory? Will the Tánaiste do something more forceful than just raise the issue? Will he let us know what strategy he has at European level to confront Israel on this core issue that is now a major impediment to achieving peace in the region?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The international community is very much engaged on this issue. As the Deputy knows, at the UN General Assembly in September a statement was agreed by the Quartet, comprising the United Nations, the European Union and so on, setting down a timetable for discussions to take place between Palestine and Israel. It is regrettable that this timetable has not been complied with and has slipped somewhat.

The purpose of my visit to Israel and Palestine was to see for myself the situation on the ground and also to have discussions with both sides. I met President Abbas and Foreign Minister Malki on the Palestinian side and, asindicated, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Lieberman and the Deputy Prime Minister on the Israeli side. My visit followed directly a separate visit by High Representative Catherine Ashton and was followed by a visit by the German Foreign Minister. There is, therefore, very much EU engagement to try to get the talks process moving. The King of Jordan had convened preliminary talks and we were trying to get both sides to engage with them. There is no doubt that the continuing blockade of Gaza and the settlements on the West Bank are huge obstacles to the progress of talks. That is why I concentrated in my discussions with the Prime Minister on examining the confidence building measures that could be advanced by Israel which would show the Palestinian side that the talks would be worthwhile.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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I commended the Tánaiste last year when he took his decision on behalf of the people at the United Nations and followed it up at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. Does he understand the absolute rage among people within the region when they see sanctions being imposed on Iran because it is not fully compliant with the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, while Israel, on the other hand, is not even a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty? Israel has ignored the will of the international community for decades in regard to settlements, yet not only are there no sanctions imposed on it, we have a complementary trade agreement between it and the European Union. Does the Tánaiste understand why young people on the West Bank consider it necessary to lift stones, their only weapon of resistance, or why a man might believe he must go on hunger strike? The international community has entirely failed them and, in so doing, sown the seeds of extremism within the region. What can the Tánaiste, as chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and part of the European team, do to address their concerns and bring peace to the region at last?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland has taken a very strong interest in the Middle East peace process, particularly the situation on the West Bank and in Gaza. I have conveyed our concerns in clear terms at meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union. I set them out clearly in my statement to the United Nations General Assembly last September. The Deputy and other Members urged me strongly in the House to visit the Middle East to see the situation for myself and engage in discussions. I have done this at the highest level with both the Palestinian and Israeli sides. My meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, lasted for almost one and a half hours and involved full discussions on what was needed to advance the situation. Everybody agrees that if there is to be a two-state solution, it must be negotiated. There are many issues to be resolved, including the issue of boundaries. The matter has become more complex as a result of the settlement problem. The most constructive role that Ireland and the European Union can play is to engage in that process and encourage both sides to engage in meaningful discussions with a view to finding a lasting settlement.