Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the expansion by IDA Ireland into Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47159/21]

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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My question relates to a decision earlier on this year by IDA Ireland to expand into Israel. That is a retrograde step. I would like to hear the Minister's comment on that decision.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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IDA Ireland is an autonomous statutory agency, which operates in accordance with the Industrial Development Acts, 1986 to 2019, and under the aegis of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who is best placed to comment on the agency’s activities and decisions and is responsible for trade. The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has answered a number of parliamentary questions on this matter.

Ireland distinguishes between the territory of the state of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967 in all of its engagements with Israel, including on trade and economic issues. This position is common across all Departments and policy coherence is ensured through co-ordination at official level.

Ireland is committed to the implementation of EU law, which makes a meaningful distinction between Israel and settlements in occupied territory. This distinction has important practical effects. Since settlements are not part of Israel, the EU-Israel Association Agreement does not apply to them. This means that different tariffs apply to goods from settlements, and settlements are not eligible for participation in EU-Israel programmes.

EU law and guidelines clearly differentiate between settlements on the one hand and Israel on the other. As such, they are an important part of the EU contribution to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemns the construction and expansion of settlements and calls on all States to distinguish in their relevant dealings between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.

The Department of Foreign Affairs ensures that there is information available for the public and companies regarding Ireland's policy on settlements via the Department's website. A whole-of-government approach is applied to the policy of differentiation and my Department also supports other Government Departments by providing guidance and clarification on the policy of differentiation.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Over the summer, a well-known ice cream maker called Ben & Jerry’s, which is an American company, announced that it would no longer sell ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territories, which are East Jerusalem and the Palestinian West Bank. This was greeted with much disdain in certain parts of the world but with great congratulations from others that a company would take a stand against apartheid Israel. Yet, IDA Ireland says it want to develop its global footprint and more economic links with Israel. That is completely contrary to what the Minister says here every week. On the one hand, he condemns Israel and, on the other, another vehicle of this State congratulates Israel for its crimes. Which is it: condemn or congratulate?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am sorry, but we make a distinction between Israel and the occupied territories. I do not believe that settlements are legal and I have said many times on the record that settlements and their expansion in occupied territories is illegal under international law. I raise that issue probably more than any other EU Minister on an international stage, whether it is in EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings, at the UN, on other international forums, here, and I raise it bilaterally and directly also with the Israeli Government, including the new Israeli Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, with whom I have spoken about this issue.

My position on this is very clear. That does not mean that Ireland should not have a relationship with Israel. I believe we should and if State agencies have a relationship with the state of Israel that is normal in terms of bilateral relations between two states. That is a different issue to the issue of us raising bluntly and directly with the Israeli Government, and with others, the illegality of settlements and the responsibility that Israel has in the context of occupied territory.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Táimid ag bogadh ar aghaidh go dtí an chéad cheist eile leis an Teachta Brady. My apologies Deputy Kenny, please continue.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I do not think that the Minister gets it. He comes in here on a weekly basis and says that he is against the annexation of Palestinian lands but at the same time he treats Israel as a normal state. Would he have said the same about apartheid South Africa in the 1980s, for example? No, he would not. That is the contradiction that we as Deputies in the Opposition constantly point out to him. Israel cannot be treated as a normal state as it is not one. It is an apartheid state and that is inherent in its brutality against the Palestinian people.

Has IDA Ireland created an office in Israel? Where is the office? Which economic links has the organisation made with Israeli companies? Hopefully, the Minister can answer those questions because if IDA Ireland has created economic links that go beyond the margins of what the Minister says here every week, then it is a complete contradiction not only of him but of the Government.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is not a contradiction at all.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My position on Israel and on our relationship is important and this also an important agent to deliver change in its policy towards Palestinians, which I have been very critical of and I continue to be.

I am not responsible for IDA Ireland and the line Minister has answered questions on this and will continue to answer questions if they are raised. My position is clear, however. Ireland should have a bilateral relationship with Israel but Ireland should also be consistent with international law and with UN Security Council resolutions in calling out illegality when it happens. That is what we and mature states do-----

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Why does the Minister have a bilateral interest in an apartheid system?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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They talk to each and when there are differences, they discuss them. Ireland continues to be one of the most outspoken countries in the world in the context of the relationship between Israel and Palestine-----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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The Minister is over time.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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----- and the need to move towards a negotiated peaceful with solution and that is what we will continue to do.