Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some of the conversations we had were powerful ones, given Senator Norris's 40 years of experience going back and forth to Israel and to occupied territories. What I would say to Palestinians who are listening is that they have a very powerful voice in this House and in our Lower House as well across the political parties, my own included, who will continue to speak up and advocate for progress in the Middle East peace process, as will I.

What we are debating tonight, however, is not the commitment towards changing an injustice that has sustained for far too long but how we change it and how Ireland is to use its influence on the international stage, at UN level and EU level, to find a way of changing the status quoand moving towards the two-state solution about which so many people are becoming increasingly sceptical because of the expansion of settlements, particularly in the West Bank. I think I have told this House before that we are seeing today the pouring of concrete on land that belongs to somebody else and is subject to a negotiated solution that will result in two states, while one of those states is becoming increasingly unviable because of the relentless expansion of settlements. Let there be no doubt about our concern about that, our calling it out for what it is, which is illegal activity in an occupied land towards which Israel has a responsibility and on which responsibility it is not following through in a manner consistent with international law. The issue and injustice are clear.

My problem is that the nature of the proposal we are debating today, given the current politics of the Middle East, is unlikely to contribute to changing that in the short or medium term, unless something happens on the back of this Bill being passed that I am not expecting. I am honestly saying that, having spent a lot of time in New York, Washington and in the parts of the Middle East to which I referred, and having spoken to some of the key people who have been named in this debate today. I have got to know them and have disagreed with them on many issues in this perspective, such as the status of Jerusalem, expanding settlements or the need to support UNWRA financially because millions of Palestinians are relying on that UN body for basic healthcare, food demands and so on. We are working, as I say, to try to influence outcomes.

I remember very well being in New York at the UN General Assembly last September and meeting the Palestinian delegation there. Minister al-Maliki, whom I have got to know very well and whom I respect, and the Palestinian Prime Minister had just met the US President and there was a sense of optimism that perhaps we were moving towards a new initiative that Palestinians could buy into as well as Israelis. Unfortunately, that optimism disappeared in the months that followed, especially in the context of statements that were made in respect of Jerusalem and, subsequently, the tragedies we have seen on the Gaza border and the continuing expansion of settlements. My point is that through that period of negativity, Ireland has been working away, trying to find ways of making things happen through persuasion, things that were not being considered a year ago and that are being considered now.

It is not just about humanitarian relief, because this has to be about something bigger than that in terms of political change. It is also about trying to find a way of creating a context for a new peace initiative that can work. In my view, the passing of this legislation moves us further away from the context that would allow that to happen, not closer to it. This is a divisive mechanism and it is deliberate.

By the way, if I were to give up on persuasion and diplomacy, then I would look at supporting actions like this if I got legal advice from the Attorney General that it was possible to do it. I have heard the Senators' explanations in terms of the legality of the Bill, but I am a Minister and I am the Tánaiste. I have to rely on the legal advice that the Government has in the Office of the Attorney General. A former Attorney General who is a Member of this House will understand that. I have very detailed advice which was not rushed and has been checked and double-checked in respect of our capacity to support the legislation and to implement it. I have to be guided somewhat by that.

My primary response is one of the politics of this given the conversations and meetings I have been involved in and the progress we are trying to make towards an outcome that can help Palestinians and that can give them some hope for the future. I will continue to pursue that despite the expectation that this legislation will pass Second Stage today. I expect it will. I respect this House and its decision. I respectfully disagree with the tactic of it in the current environment, which is a very heated one in the Middle East.Passing the Bill would fan those flames; rather, we should ensure Ireland can create a stronger, unified position within the European Union and in discussions on the issue with key actors in the United States, Ramallah and Tel Aviv. I expect to debate the legislation again on further Stages, at which point I hope Senators will see developments along the lines I am advocating. That will show that there are other ways by which to make progress in dealing with a problem that should have been solved decades ago and which has resulted in misery, death, violence and total hopelessness, particularly in the Gaza Strip but also among a new generation on the West Bank, because of the inability of those in power to progress a peace process that I hope can find a way forward in the coming months.