Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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10. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the continued expansion of illegal Israeli colonial settlements in Palestine (details supplied); and the measures being taken at a bilateral and international level to tackle Israel’s continued violations of international law and the impunity it currently has to expand illegal colonial settlements. [48395/17]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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41. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there has been dialogue at an EU level regarding the wider issues of Israeli settlements on Palestinian Authority controlled lands with particular reference to the declaration of a Jewish municipality in Hebron which according to the Palestinian Authority nullifies the Hebron agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48418/17]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I am deeply concerned that the Israeli Government is advancing plans to increase the amount of illegal colonial settlements on occupied Palestinian lands, particularly in East Jerusalem and the Jordan valley. It is allowed to carry out these continued violations of international law with impunity. I welcome the Minister's statement on 20 October condemning the latest illegal colonial settlement expansion plans of the Israeli Government but when will the Irish Government and others move beyond the simple rhetoric and actually sanction or put a brake on the Israeli Government for its continued international law and human rights violations?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 41 together.

We are doing a lot on the Israeli-Palestinian question but simplistic approaches do not necessarily work. Ireland and our EU partners have consistently condemned the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, which is unjust and provocative and undermines the credibility of Israel's commitment to a peaceful solution to the conflict. The introduction and settlement of communities of an occupying power to alter the demography of the area is unambiguously illegal under international law. The process of establishing settlements also inevitably involves violations of the rights of the occupied population through seizure of their land, discriminatory treatment and other restrictions. Tactics including differentiated application of planning laws, zoning, military use, creating national parks etc. are used by the Israeli authorities to advance this process under a cloak of legality. None of these measures can alter the fact that the whole process is illegal.

It is not possible to comment on every reported settlement plan, many of which are speculative and go no further. However, I was disturbed when plans were announced last month for the construction of several thousand housing units in illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory in the West Bank, including in sensitive areas like East Jerusalem and the city of Hebron, and I publicly stated my concern and condemnation at the time. The intrusive actions of settlers in the city of Hebron have long been a focus of concern and the recent further actions by the Israeli authorities in favour of settlement expansion can only further increase tensions and make genuine and lasting peace and security more difficult to achieve.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

In addition, Ireland has consistently argued in favour of a clear differentiation by the EU and the international community between the state of Israel on the one hand and the illegal settlements on Palestinian land on the other. This policy was explicitly supported by the UN Security Council in Resolution 2334 in December 2016. The EU has already taken a number of actions in this regard.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister is saying that it will not involve simplistic solutions. The Minister accepts that the settlements are illegal, as does the UN. I think most people around the world accept they are illegal. What I am really asking the Minister is what we can do and what we are doing to do. What actions are we going to take? I am asking for us to move beyond the rhetoric because according to data released last month by the Israeli Peace Now movement, plans to build 6,500 settlement units in the West Bank have been approved since the beginning of 2017 compared to 2,629 settlement units in 2016 and 1,982 settlement units in 2015. This is ongoing. We know the Israeli Government's attitude to it. The Israeli Minister for Foreign Affairs has said that Israel must start planning 1 million illegal settlements in Area C. What are we going to do about it?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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That is a fair question. The Government has consistently and repeatedly conveyed these concerns to the Israeli authorities and highlighted them in our interventions at EU, UN and international level. In addition, I have raised these concerns directly with Israeli leaders during my visit to Israel and Palestine in July.

Ireland supports efforts to reach a comprehensive peace agreement to the Middle East conflict and this is a priority for me personally. I have met with the US Middle East team to encourage its work and to underline what the EU sees as the key parameters for any future agreement. There is an expectation that the US may come forward with a new initiative regarding a peace agreement early in the new year. I have also taken an active role on this issue in the Foreign Affairs Council, urging my colleagues to continue our work to help preserve and create the political and physical space in which the two-state solution can be achieved.

I visited the region earlier this year and met representatives of both parties. I hope to do so again early next year to try to build on the work we are already doing.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I heard what the Minister said, yet concerns are being raised. In the meantime, as we debate the issue, the settlements are continuing. Palestinian people are being put out of their houses to make way for these settlements. The Minister was there recently and so was I. It is only when one is there that one understands the real impact of what is happening. In Hebron, it is particularly oppressive. We are talking about Brexit and borders in Ireland but if one is Palestinian and one is walking down a street in Hebron, one cannot go a certain way. If one is Israeli, one cannot go another way. We either agree with the two-state solution or we give up on the issue. I agree with the Minister about raising concerns but it is not having an impact on the Israeli authorities because the settlements continue. If one looks at the settlements and the infrastructure and the contrast between life in those settlements and the lives of ordinary Palestinian people, there is no resemblance.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I do not disagree with any of what the Deputy has said. I hope we are talking about how to change it and the approach that will achieve that. My view is that there is a hope and expectation at present. I have met senior Palestinian leaders in Ramallah on this issue, as well as many Israeli politicians. I have met the Israeli ambassador on multiple occasions to discuss this issue. There is a hope and expectation that, as a result of the relationship between Israel and the current US Administration, there may be a new initiative in the next few months. Our focus, as politicians and as a Government, needs to be to try to influence that initiative to ensure that it is one the European Union and Ireland can support in terms of what it asks of both sides. That is what I have been trying to do. I have met the senior US negotiator, Jason Greenblatt, in Jerusalem and New York. It is an important issue for me personally. It is something into which I want to put a lot of time. It is not a coincidence that I will be back in Ramallah and Jerusalem, and probably the Gaza Strip, in January or February. If people have suggestions or want to talk to me in detail in advance of that visit, I will be happy to accommodate them.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I acknowledge the Israeli people I have met who are opposed to the Israeli Government's policy on settlements. I acknowledge the ongoing work of the Geneva initiative. I will mention the Bedouin and the issues for them and their lives and the way they are being treated. I will also mention the Golan Heights. A group appeared before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade recently to discuss the situation in villages in the Golan Heights. They are mainly of Syrian origin and are also under threat as a result of the policy on settlements. This is an issue the Minister could investigate if he is visiting the area.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We have been very consistent on the issue of settlements. They make a lasting peace agreement more and more difficult to achieve. The geography and politics of Jerusalem are incredibly complicated. It takes a lot to get one's head around the issue but it is helpful when one is there and sees the places that the politics and divisions are centred around. The continuing expansion of settlements in areas that we hope will be part of a Palestinian state in the future makes the agreement regarding such a state much more difficult and complicated. That is why the European Union has been so firm and consistent in criticising settlement activity and why it will continue to do so.