Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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85. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the pressure his Department is putting on the Israeli Government, through the Irish embassy in Tel Aviv or other channels, to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza; if he will provide details of his Department's most recent correspondence with the Israeli Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49260/13]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Tánaiste rightly described the need for urgent action following the natural disaster that has afflicted people in the Philippines. However, a man-made disaster on a similar scale has been occurring in Gaza every day for years and the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day. When will we say "enough is enough" to Israel? The lack of fuel at Gaza's power plant means there are power outages for between 12 and 17 hours a day. Patients in hospitals with leukaemia and rheumatoid arthritis do not have the medicines they need. Fishermen were shot at by the Israelis for the umpteenth time in the past week 1.5 km from the Gaza coast as they went out to fish. Israel is trying to strangle and decimate Gaza. Is it the case that the only time we care about the people of Gaza is when they are being bombed, and we ignore their plight while they are being slowly strangled by a vicious and concerted campaign of destruction being wreaked on them by Israel?

What are we doing about this?

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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It is not the only time we care about the people of Gaza. We are concerned about the situation there all the time. Amid the turmoil in the Middle East, it remains essential to keep a focus on the unacceptable and unsustainable conditions in Gaza which I visited last month as part of a visit to view the Irish Aid programme in the occupied Palestinian territories to see what conditions were like on the ground. Subsequently, I made a report on the visit to the foreign affairs committee. While Israeli restrictions have eased marginally, clearly the overall situation in Gaza has deteriorated in recent months as Egypt has acted against smuggling into Gaza owing to its own security concerns. This has impacted principally on supplies of fuel and building materials, adding to an existing fuel shortfall which, in turn, is impacting on domestic use, electricity supply and water and sewerage facilities, with obvious negative effects for residents.

Ireland has consistently stressed that it is essential that Israel move progressively to the full opening of Gaza’s borders to people and goods, subject to normal security measures. I also deplore efforts by some groups in Gaza to attack Israeli border posts, which only helps those who wish to treat the situation in Gaza as purely a security issue. All relevant actors, inside and outside Gaza, should consider how their policies are impacting on ordinary people who are innocent victims of larger forces.

Ireland raises the problems in Gaza, among other issues, both directly with Israel and through EU engagement with Israel. This includes regular contact between the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Israeli authorities, as well as between officials and the Israeli embassy here. In addition to my visit, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade also travelled to Gaza last year to highlight the conditions. Ireland also raised the issue of Gaza in the universal review of Israel at the UN Human Rights Council last month. We will raise it again with Israel at senior official level in the next few weeks.

While it is right that priority attention is given to supporting the political talks taking place, in Ireland’s view, the international community has not pressed as hard as it should on the issue of Gaza. We will continue to argue that case wherever possible.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. I asked specifically in my question if he could furnish us with copies of communications he had had with Israel, whether with the embassy here or Tel Aviv. We need to know what is being said.

The blockade has been ongoing for years and it is just getting worse. I do not doubt that the Minister has taken action. He has made public statements in the Dáil that I welcomed. However, nothing has changed; in fact, the position is getting worse. I do not condone border attacks, but the problem is the Israeli blockade and Israel's concerted policy to strangle Gaza in the most vicious and cruel way. The blockade is hitting the sick and the young. If the Minister of State had been there, he would know about the appalling conditions in which 1.7 million people are living.

When are we going to stop treating Israel as if it is just a normal state? It does major trade with this country and Europe, having favoured trade status with the European Union.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I call the Minister of State. I will come back to the Deputy for a further supplementary question.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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How can we allow this to continue when Israel is doing this to the Palestinians, particularly Gazans?

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I replied to the Deputy on the issues that he has raised again. I agree that the situation is getting progressively worse. For a considerable time essential supplies for Gaza could be moved through tunnels on the Egyptian side. Since the overthrow of the Morsi Government in Egypt, 85% of these tunnels have been closed which has meant food, medicines, building materials, water and other essentials coming through from Egypt have virtually ceased.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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They should not have to rely on tunnels for such materials.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Israel is not allowing access through the natural hinterland for Gaza through to Israel and the West Bank. As I said in my reply, we have constantly raised these issues with Israel. They are not security issues. Security measures can be put in place. These are restrictions on a population of 1.2 million, 800,000 of whom are reliant on American Near East Refugee Aid, ANERA, for essential food supplies on a daily basis.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Can we have sanctions?

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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We raise these issues regularly at every level.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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When will there be sanctions? With South Africa's apartheid we reached a point where we said "enough is enough" and imposed sanctions. Surely the clock has run out for Israel to be just asked nicely to stop doing what it is doing to the Palestinian people. Should we not publicly demand that sanctions be imposed? Is it not unbelievable that Europe gives favoured trade status to Israel when it flagrantly flouts all human rights obligations? Israel even refuses MEP Emer Costello entry to Gaza. European delegation officials alleged that they were beaten by Israeli soldiers when they tried to access certain areas of the West Bank. When will we say, "Sorry, this is not acceptable and we are going to impose sanctions on you people"?

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Ireland acts in conjunction with the EU on sanctions. We have already made a strong stand on the guidelines and that has had an impact on the peace talks. In the context of what is happening, peace talks are under way and we hope that some progress will be made in that area. Meanwhile we will continue to raise the issue at the levels we can, including the EU and our position on the Human Rights Council, and any fora we have on a bilateral basis with Israel.