Results 1-20 of 29 for israel segment:6086537

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Ms Hilary Minch: On the recognition of Israel, if we go back to 1998 when the PLO declared a state on 22% of the historic homeland, Hamas recognises that. Whether it is recognising Israel as a Jewish state or a non-Jewish state is not really the point. It recognises the state of Palestine as being on that 22%. That is recognising Israel on the remainder of the land. If we talk about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Olivia Mitchell: .... Mr. Costello was talking about the chain, the wall and the settlements. Never mind politically, physically is a two-state solution viable? The Chairman was saying that Hamas will not recognise Israel as a state. The reality is that Israel is already a state. The very fact that one aspires to a two-state solution is a recognition of this. Therefore, that is a dubious justification...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

...that are better placed than us to do some of the long-term legal work. The Deputy asked what else can be done so I shall outline the big thing to do. Unfortunately, as we have seen, Israel will not act without external pressure being applied. Therefore, we should still pursue all the legal and human rights angles that we can but, in as friendly a way as possible, bring pressure to bear...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Pat Breen: We have been there a number of times. We went there last year. First of all, I went to Gaza and Israel with the then leader of the Opposition, An Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, and Deputies Billy Timmins and Alan Shatter. The committee has gone on a number of occasions. We went last year to the refugee camps in Jordan. We think Jordan has an important role to play in the peace process....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

...was looking at a picture I had. Her answer was: "Could they just not stop taking the homes?" Essentially, she was asking could they just not end the occupation. There is a solution available. Israel needs to end its occupation of Palestine. If it is not going to do this willingly, which clearly it is not, we, the Irish people and the Government, and the EU have so many things we can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

...position as EAPPI we are not particularly promoting boycott, divestment and sanctions, but there are so many things that can be done within the EU and the economic framework to send a message to Israel that its actions - its breaches of international law and human rights - are not acceptable. The recognition of a State of Palestine will not change things on the ground but it does help in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

...50,000 houses were destroyed not one of them has been rebuilt more than 100 days later. None of the international or EU aid promised to Gaza has made any difference on the ground. That is because Israel decides who and what comes in and out Gaza. All of the money available means nothing if Gaza is under siege. I do not know what is happening at EU level, but Ireland must do as much as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

...'s question about settlers. He was wondering where they come from and who they are. I will give him a figure first. The numbers range from a UN estimate of 550,000 to an estimate by Peace Now, an Israeli organisation, of 650,000 settlers between east Jerusalem and the West Bank. They are made up of both ideological and economic settlers. The ideological settlers believe the West Bank...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Ms Jenny Derbyshire: At the moment Israel benefits from the occupation in terms of the settlements which must be addressed before negotiations can move on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Mr. Patrick Costello: America provides approximately $3 billion in military aid to Israel. This is generally in the form of vouchers to buy military equipment from US military companies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Pat Breen: I want to follow up on Hamas. Deputy Mitchell also wants to come in. Does Ms Minch think Hamas is a real obstacle to any peace initiative given it does not recognise Israel?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Pat Breen: In terms of the non-recognition of Israel, does Ms Minch think this is an obstacle in moving the peace process forward? On a dialogue with Hamas, I agree with her.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Pat Breen: We have had a very good interactive debate between committee members and the witnesses. It is good to differ, challenge and ask questions. It is important to probe what is happening in Israel at present. I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Pat Breen: ...witnesses think of the new EU policy guidelines being worked out at present with regard to the labelling of goods from settlements so they are not misrepresented to consumers as having come from Israel? Is work ongoing at EU level in this regard? Is this a first step with regard to what the witnesses are proposing?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Ms Jenn Byrne: They would have a choice, but perhaps they would not know what it means. My mother did not know about Israeli settlements until I went there. Consumers may not understand the ramifications of their choices. If they see Israel OPT they may not understand it. Will we endorse it so people have the choice to fund something which is internationally recognised as illegal?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

Brendan Smith: ...Union, on behalf of its 500 million citizens, makes a pledge to provide much needed funding to relieve the desperate plight of so many innocent people, is there any interaction between it and Israel to try to remove the blockages in order that pledged money can be drawn down to build facilities and homes for the Palestinian people?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

...the Oslo accords. There has been a solution available since then but no negotiations have worked because, as Councillor Costello mentioned, there has been no proper pressure brought to bear on Israel. There have been no sanctions. UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter have all been breached and in our capacity as EAPPI we----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

...the 22% of the land is the right thing to do, but it strengthens the hand of the Palestinians for negotiations. It does not dictate what the final outcomes should be. Many of the Palestinians and Israelis I have spoken to in recent months and over the years have mixed feelings at to whether they want to live in one state or two states. In some ways, it does not matter because what they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Palestine and Israel: Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (10 Dec 2014)

...that period €49 million worth of EU funded and member state projects were destroyed. A question was raised whether member states and the European Union could claim back some of the money from Israel. A motion to claim it was put to a vote, but the vote went against it. There is no will at EU level to ask for reparations to cover the cost of the destroyed EU funded projects. That...