Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

The agenda for 2008 set at the Annapolis conference in December 2007 committed Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work together to reach an overall agreement within the year. Few were surprised this ambitious target was not achieved but if we are not ambitious we will never make progress. The Israeli Government and the President of the Palestinian Authority pursued direct negotiations throughout the year on the final settlement issues. Particular credit is due to the latter, given the grave difficulties he faced internally. While there was undoubted frustration, particularly on the Palestinian side, that the talks did not proceed more quickly, it was generally acknowledged that some headway was being made. Perhaps the most heartening sign was that so little detail emerged. For once the parties seemed to be focused on making progress rather than preparing for the blame game.

Another very positive sign was the recommencement under the aegis of the Turkish Government of proximity talks between Israel and Syria. Incidentally, the Turkish Government is entitled to considerable credit in particular in terms of its attempts to bring Syria and Israel together. It has revived a track that has lain dormant since 2000. Clearly, Syria must be part of a long-term solution given its interest in securing the return of the Golan Heights and its relationship with more rejectionist Palestinian elements. There remains serious clouds on the horizon, notably, the continued isolation of Gaza, which is unacceptable and causes concern to every civilised Government. A second issue that arises is the rift on the Palestinian side between Fatah and Hamas and the continuation of Israeli settlement building on the West Bank and in east Jerusalem.

There are some grounds for believing that events might be moving in the right direction although these have received a setback in the violent conflict of Gaza. Three weeks of violent military action left more than 1,300 people, caused massive destruction and left an estimated 40,000 people homeless. Both sets of negotiations have been suspended; any emerging trust between the parties has been seriously damaged and our attention is now focused primarily on the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza. I do not seek today to replay the causes or course of the Gaza operations as the matter has been already discussed by both Houses and in particular in this House. Government Ministers and Oireachtas Members from all sides have received many representations from the public which, incidentally, is a testament to the strong views of the Irish people on this matter.

Israel and its representatives have strongly defended their action as the only course left open by the repeated attacks on their cities by missiles fired from Gaza and by Hamas and other militant groups. Ireland, in its response to the unfolding events, made clear that the firing of missiles at Israeli civilian targets was completely unacceptable. The ferocity, scale and extent of the Israeli military response was, in our view, entirely indefensible and completely disproportionate.