Results 1-20 of 20 for israel speaker:Jim Walsh

Seanad: Overseas Development: Statements (4 Feb 2015)

Jim Walsh: ...who have been living there for years. Some of those camps have been in existence since 1948 which is shocking when one thinks of the wealth of the Western world. There has been a failure of political leadership and a lot of it is down to the failure of Israel to deal with the Palestinian issue. Palestinian people, for generations, have experienced nothing better than just existing in...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2014)

Jim Walsh: ...state. I understand there will be a unanimous decision on this by the House, which I welcome. There needs to be a debate on the issue. We need to develop a strategy because for too long Israel has obstructed any final settlement on this issue. It is most unfair to the Palestinian people who also suffer at the hands of other Islamic states, which is an astonishing situation. I am not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation in Gaza - Middle East Peace Process: Palestinian and Israeli Ambassadors (3 Sep 2014)

Jim Walsh: ...in a recent letter to meet me privately, I am happy to do so. It is welcome that he is here and has been made aware of the strong views of the committee on the issue. These views are not anti-Israel. While they may be pro-Palestinian, it does not follow that they are anti-Israel. It is welcome that the ambassador has engaged in dialogue with us. We should continue that dialogue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation in Gaza - Middle East Peace Process: Palestinian and Israeli Ambassadors (3 Sep 2014)

Jim Walsh: Is Israel prepared to enter into negotiations on an agreement on the basis of reverting to the pre-1967 borders? Obviously, everybody subscribes to the view that the interests and future of Israel should be secured within them, but I do not detect from anything the ambassador has said that would give me confidence or change my deep conviction that Israel is simply not interested in moving to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation in Gaza - Middle East Peace Process: Palestinian and Israeli Ambassadors (3 Sep 2014)

Jim Walsh: I sympathise, as I did earlier with the Palestinian ambassador, with the Israeli ambassador on the loss of civilian life in Israel caused by some of the rockets fired into it. That was wrong. The ambassador stated in his submission: "...the Palestinian civilians are not our enemies and we did not want them dead or hurt ... each time a civilian was killed unintentionally was seen as a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation in Gaza - Middle East Peace Process: Palestinian and Israeli Ambassadors (3 Sep 2014)

Jim Walsh: ...of non-governmental organisations that are involved in human rights, say that Fatah is losing public support because it does not seem to be able to make progress with negotiations with Israel. Hamas is also losing support because of what it has done, which has attracted the bombing. Some people are concerned that this could create circumstances in which the radicalisation of young...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation in Gaza - Middle East Peace Process: Palestinian and Israeli Ambassadors (3 Sep 2014)

Jim Walsh: ...an election is due next year? I welcome that co-operation because unless the Palestinians are united, they will find it very hard to reach an agreement that is sustainable. I also think that the Israelis should welcome it too. Are there any talks taking place within that framework to get Hamas to disarm? Can the ambassador explain why Hamas would bomb Israel, knowing the brutal...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Jim Walsh: ...end up as it is. This is the third outbreak of the conflict in Gaza in recent years - I understand the first was in 2008. We have had much communication particularly from people who have a pro-Israeli disposition and I have no difficulty with that. I concur with and have no hesitation in condemning Hamas for its rocket attacks on Israeli territory, thereby endangering civilians. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Situation: Ambassador of Iran to Ireland (9 Jul 2014)

Jim Walsh: ...were much safer under the brutal regimes of dictators who were not popular globally or within their countries. The former Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spoke about the obliteration of Israel. What is the position of the current administration on that? We, in my party, and people generally in Ireland have taken a position of supporting the Palestinians' calls for a homeland,...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)

Jim Walsh: Or the old Minister. I agree with my colleagues, including Senator Ó Murchú, who have eloquently articulated the situation concerning the Palestinians and what is happening in Israel and Palestine at the moment. It is a real travesty that Israel set about ensuring that the peace talks under the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, would not make progress. It was a brave move on Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Recent and Forthcoming Foreign Affairs Councils: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (4 Mar 2014)

Jim Walsh: ...with the negotiations which are under way. It is interesting that President Obama is reported as having said in the last couple of days that if there is a failure to reach agreement in the current talks, he sees Israel standing on its own. Presumably, that implies the USA will play its part in endeavouring to ensure that there will be agreement. That is very important as it has not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Presidency Objectives, Foreign Affairs Council and Membership of Human Rights Council: Discussion (17 Jul 2013)

Jim Walsh: ...initiative with Russia and the US is very important to try to bring closure to that conflict and not allow it to go on for ten years. They said it would enhance the prospects of success if Iran, Turkey and Israel participated with Russia and the US. The inclusion of some of the countries to which they referred surprised me and I queried them but their honest opinion was that these...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Scrutiny Reports 2012: Discussion with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (12 Jun 2013)

Jim Walsh: ...of us will be in the region next week and hope we will have an opportunity to see what is occurring at first hand. Did the issue of banning of imports from the settlement areas arise at EU level? Israel will need to be induced or driven, probably in equal proportions, if we are to resolve this issue. My colleague has covered EU-Russia relations. Russia is a very significant player and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues: Discussion with EU Special Representative for Human Rights (6 Feb 2013)

Jim Walsh: ...at night. It was inhumane. We sometimes get sidelined onto other issues that are not as fundamental as human rights. What can Europe do in this regard? The EU has an association agreement with Israel. What types of human rights violation will need to occur within the settlement areas for the EU to consider suspending that agreement? The committee has resolved to ask the Government...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Foreign Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (21 Nov 2012)

Jim Walsh: ...settlements, as have other members, simply because it is almost getting to the stage where a two-state solution is becoming impossible, and that is unacceptable. Pressure needs to be brought to bear on Israel to accept that and to discontinue settlements. We also need to say in a balanced way that Israel is entitled to ensure its borders are safe and secure and that its citizens are not...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

Jim Walsh: ...to India. In the 1930s, de Valera opposed the partition of Palestine at the League of Nations and opposed Britain's selfish interests there. In the 1950s, de Valera went with Ben Briscoe to Israel and met Ben Gurion. However, he went on to Ramallah to criticise the plight of Palestinian refugees who were living in atrocious conditions there. After Suez, Liam Cosgrave, as Minister for...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: .... I also support the call by Senators Leyden and Ó Murchú with regard to the protection of the flotilla going to Gaza. It was appalling that last year one of the Turkish boats was boarded by Israeli commandos and nine people were killed. While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems intractable, greater emphasis from across the globe must be brought to bear to bring about a reasonable...

Seanad: Biological Weapons Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: ...am surprised there are only approximately 15 signatory states to the convention. If my information is correct, this seems low. I am concerned that certain states in the Middle East, particularly Israel, are not party to it. Article IV of the convention requires that each state must take "any necessary measures to prohibit and prevent the development, production, stockpiling,...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jun 2010)

Jim Walsh: .... Like Senator Quinn, I believe there are two sides to the story. Most reasonable people would have accepted in 1948 that there was a necessity for the Jewish people to establish the state of Israel, given the events of the Second World War, probably one of the darkest chapters in the history of the world. The six day war in 1967 resulted in the Occupied Territories being taken from the...

Seanad: International Criminal Court Bill 2003: Second Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Jim Walsh: ...of that film. While the number of countries which have signed up to this initiative has increased to approximately 100, I agree with Senator Cummins that it is regrettable that while the US and Israel in particular have signed up to it, they have not subscribed to the jurisdiction of the court. Given some of the excesses that have occurred in Iraq and the great suffering of the Palestinian...