Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is satisfied with EU action regarding advancing the Israel/Palestine peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50191/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The European Union has for many years asserted that the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be a two-state solution, involving a sovereign state of Palestine which coexists peacefully with Israel. Ireland has contributed strongly to the development of this policy, which now commands near-consensus internationally. Regrettably, progress towards this goal has been much less satisfactory.

The European Union acts supportively in a number of ways. First and foremost, we seek to encourage and press both parties into engaging in serious direct negotiations because we recognise that this is the only way to reach a comprehensive agreement and end the occupation. Frankly, we have been disappointed by the inability to get talks restarted. The reasons are complex but, primarily, there has been little real engagement by the Israeli Government in the process. The European Union is also active in respect of specific issues on the ground which we believe are having a negative effect and threatening to make a peace agreement based on a two-state solution impossible to achieve. In May the Foreign Affairs Council issued strong conclusions, to which Ireland actively contributed, which highlighted these issues and called for urgent changes in Israeli policy. I am now pressing for a follow-up Council discussion. On the Palestinian side, the European Union is the major provider of humanitarian support for refugees and technical support and capacity-building for the Palestinian administration. Ireland plays an active role in all of these strands of engagement, including through support provided by Irish Aid.

Although the European Union has been active and consistent on this issue, I cannot be satisfied while the situation remains so frustratingly deadlocked. I believe the international community, including the Quartet, the European Union and the United States, needs to be more active and forceful.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. We discussed this issue at length in the last session of Question Time. My tabling of the question was to ensure it is kept on the agenda. Will the Minister tell us at which Council meeting he hopes to have a full discussion of this matter? Will it be before the end of the year or will it go into the Irish Presidency?

It is alarming, and has been for many years, that since Israel's occupation of the West Bank began in 1967, settlements have been promoted and expanded under every Israeli Government. The figure quoted, which I understand to be accurate, is that 42% of West Bank land has been allocated to establish more than 200 settlements. The European Union is Israel's largest trading partner and therefore the notion of a ban on trade must be kept on the agenda. The Minister gave us a detailed letter following the last parliamentary question on the subject, which mentioned a degree of conflict in regard to the merit such a ban might have. Even if it is only a small measure, it is important to get the message out that a major trading bloc is seriously concerned about the ongoing impasse and the injustice that has been perpetrated on Palestinians for so long.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Middle East peace process is discussed at almost all Foreign Affairs Council meetings. We had a discussion on it in October and another discussion took place at the informal meeting in September which focused largely on Gaza and the difficulties in that area arising from contamination, particularly of water. What I am seeking is that at some point in the coming months the Council will return to the May conclusions, review what has been taking place since then and examine certain measures that might be taken by the European Union in order to pursue these conclusions. The letter I sent to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade was intended to set this out in a comprehensive way. I believed it was desirable that the committee members should have available to them the kind of assessment that is available to me, for example, concerning the prospect of a ban on settlement products, how that might be done and how we might pursue it at EU level. There would also be an assessment of the likely impact of such a measure.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister not accept there is no pressure on the Israeli Government? There certainly is none from the United States or the European Union, which has awarded Israel favourable trading status. As we sit in this Chamber, a massive military attack on the people of Gaza is taking place. In recent days an Israeli Minister is on record as having said that families in Gaza should have their water, food, electricity and fuel cut off as a collective punishment for resisting the Israeli invasion at the weekend. This is the Government with which we are dealing. There is no pressure. The Minister is applying pressure but there is none coming from the European Union. The situation between the Palestinians and the Israelis will not be resolved internally. There is a need for an outside power to act. What is happening is unequal. People need to wake up to the fact that things are getting worse. Life is untenable for people living in that region of the world and no pressure is being applied, unfortunately.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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I am sure the Minister is well aware that the Palestinians will soon be seeking support for their application for non-member observer status at the United Nations. Given that President Obama has already asked the Israelis to withdraw, a request that was refused, it is up to Europeans to apply pressure to see that fairness prevails. This is important, because it is at the core of so many of the problems of the entire region.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The attacks that have been taking place in recent days are extremely worrying. I reiterate that rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel must also stop. Israel is entitled to security for its people. Attacks of a terrorist nature from Gaza must stop, as must the attacks by Israel on Gaza. Just before I came into the Chamber to take questions, I received a preliminary report of a rocket attack by Israel on Gaza in which a senior figure in Hamas is alleged to have been killed. I have only just received this information and have not had an opportunity to get a more up-to-date report. All of this is extremely worrying.

In May the European Union issued its strongest statement to date about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly in regard to the settlements. We must bear in mind that there are divergent views among the 27 member states on this issue, as was seen in the UNESCO vote last year when the European Union divided evenly three ways: nine for, nine against and nine abstentions. Securing agreement on that statement was therefore significant, and we can build on that. The European Union has a key role to play.

I have made it clear that Ireland is positively disposed towards Palestine's non-member observer status at the United Nations, but obviously we must look at the detail of the resolution and work on this. There is an opportunity in the aftermath of the American presidential election for a renewed effort to get serious peace negotiations under way.