Fiach MacConghail (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Seanad and appreciate his constant willingness to come before this House for debates. He has integrity and I congratulate him on his article yesterday. It is refreshing that he is not flimsy and is open to other opinions. He articulates his thinking process publicly, which is refreshing because he does not feel the need to be deterministic on either side. As I only have five minutes, I will give a personal reflection on my recent trip to Palestine, particularly the West Bank, from which I returned on Monday. I will conclude by making a modest request of the Minister.

I have visited the occupied territories in Palestine three times in the past 12 months and spent the equivalent of a month there since November 2013. I have also visited Israel and seen places such as Jaffa, Umm al-Fahm, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Jericho, Jenin, Hebron, Tulkarem, Nablus, Deir Istya, Yanun, Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights and Ramallah. I have spoken to citizens, refugees, temporary residents, displaced persons, diplomats, Palestinians under occupation, Ministers, non-governmental organisations, NGOs, playwrights, actors, politicians, schoolchildren and teachers. What I am witnessing is the final episode in the complete fragmentation of the West Bank, the choking of Jerusalem and hopelessness in ever achieving a two-state solution.

I was in Jerusalem all last week during a highly tense period. I recognise the state of Israel and the state of Palestine. I am unhappy with the 1967 Green Line, but in the interests of peace and sovereignty, I will accept it. Under Article 49 of the Geneva Convention, an occupying power cannot transfer its population onto occupied territory. Settlements and the barrier, wall or fence are enormous violations of international law. On 9 July 2004, over ten years ago, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of the construction of the wall in occupied Palestinian territory. The UN Security Council also recognises this violation. The International Court of Justice has called on Israel to cease construction of the barrier inside the Green Line and around east Jerusalem. It has also requested the dismantlement of the section already completed, but ten years on 62% of the barrier has been constructed - it includes 200 km added since the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion. Some 85% of the barrier route runs inside the territory of the West Bank.

Some 150 illegal settlements and 100 outposts have been erected and they contain over 500,000 Israeli settlers, which represents 20% of the Palestinian population. That is quite an occupying force. Ironically, 20% of the population of Israel consists of Palestinian and Arab people; perhaps, therefore, we might examine a one-state solution. When the barrier wall is completed, it will be 700 km long, the equivalent of a car journey from Dublin to Kilkenny to Cork to Killarney to Galway to Achill Island. Many Palestinian farmers live on one side of the wall and tend to their olive trees on the other. Data collected by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, show a reduction in yield of around 60% from such olive trees compared to those on the Palestinian side. This is evidence of the destruction of the fabric of Palestinian agriculture and society. I accept that Israel is worried about defence, but such a barrier is illegal inside the Green Line.

A combination of the barrier and settlements has contributed to the deliberate fragmentation and annexation of the West Bank. Over 42% of the land on the West Bank, including around the Jordan valley and the Dead Sea, has been confiscated and allocated as settlements that are off limits to Palestinian developments. If Palestinians had access to the Jordan valley and the Dead Sea, it would negate any need for international aid as, according to the World Bank, the equivalent of €3 billion of income would be generated for Palestine through the exploitation of natural resources. Palestinians cannot exploit the rich resources of the Dead Sea.

On Sunday I drove from Jericho to Jerusalem and saw the physical impact of settlements. I saw displaced Bedouin farmers thrown out of Jericho.

I have seen the constriction and choking of the E1 zone and the settlements suddenly disappearing, and I believe east Jerusalem is in danger. Approximately 4 million Palestinians from the remainder of the occupied territory are prohibited from entering east Jerusalem without a permit, and we know there is a crisis there.

I welcome the Minister and make a modest request which I am happy to discuss with him bilaterally. The Government gives aid to Palestinian NGOs in the areas of health and education, and my request is that a small portion of this funding be directed towards cultural activity. I have seen Palestinian theatre companies at work in Hebron, Jenin, Jaffa and Golan. We know the power of drama to articulate dignity, integrity, self-development and self-confidence, and it is an enormous boost. France, Sweden and Norway invest quite strongly in this area. I am aware the Minister is reviewing Irish aid and I would love to give him some examples of how a modest sum would create solidarity and connect Irish artists with Palestinian artists working in Jaffa and other cities in Israel. This funding would not necessarily have to come directly from Irish Aid but could be channelled through NGOs that already exist.