Seanad debates

Tuesday, 1 March 2022

Situation in the Middle East: Statements

 

2:30 pm

Photo of Colm BrophyColm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ireland has been consistently clear that the restrictions imposed on Palestinians undermine the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, a right that is at the heart of the two-state solution. Ireland has been forthright in expressing concern regarding the unequal treatment of Palestinians and the application of different standards in the occupied Palestinian territories. We have been clear in the language we have used to describe the situation and are conscious of how the language we use can be interpreted.

As the Taoiseach has stated clearly in the Dáil, the Government does not use the term "apartheid" as we do not think it is helpful. We raise our concerns regarding discriminatory practices towards the Palestinians regularly in our direct contacts with the Israeli authorities at both political and official level. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in November 2021 and strongly underlined Ireland' s position in his contacts with his Israeli interlocutors, urging them to cease unilateral actions such as settlement expansion which undermine the prospects for peace.

Ireland has also been proactive in ensuring these issues are highlighted in multilateral forums, in particular at the EU and UN, notably at the Human Rights Council and in the context of our current role as a member of the UN Security Council. At the most recent Security Council meeting on 23 February, Ireland expressed serious concern at how the policies of the Israeli authorities have an impact on the human rights of Palestinians. Ireland condemned the unequal treatment of Palestinians and Israel's failure to ensure the protection and welfare of Palestinians living under its occupation, calling once again on Israel to comply with its obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Furthermore, following the Security Council meeting on 19 January, Ireland issued a strong joint press statement with France and Estonia.In this statement, we urged Israel not to proceed with new outline plans for the construction of hundreds of housing units in East Jerusalem, including the lower aqueduct plan, which will further undermine the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state.

I wish at this point to address the ongoing tensions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which are a source of deep concern. In recent weeks, we have seen incidents of provocation, violence, including settler violence, and escalatory acts in the occupied Palestinian territory, which serve only to inflame an already tense situation. Reports of the use of excessive force by Israeli security forces are deeply disturbing. The UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, has reported that between 25 January and 7 February alone, 215 Palestinians, including 28 children, were injured by Israeli forces in the West Bank. The killing of two Palestinian teenagers on 13 and 21 February were particularly shocking.

As Ireland reiterated at the Security Council on 23 February, it is the responsibility of the Israeli authorities, as the occupying power, to ensure all incidents of disproportionate use of force are thoroughly investigated and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions. Ireland has also called on Israel to bring to justice settlers responsible for carrying out violent attacks on Palestinians. We are concerned also regarding the imminent threat of further evictions and demolitions in an East Jerusalem neighbourhood, which will inevitably fuel tension. Ireland's representative in Ramallah was present, along with other EU like-minded diplomats, at the scene of evictions and demolitions, which took place in Sheikh Jarrah on 17 and 18 January and our ambassador in Tel Aviv has communicated our concern directly to the Israeli authorities.

I referred at the beginning of my remarks to the importance of civil society and the vital role civil society organisations play in this context. The designation by the Israeli authorities of six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organisations remains a source of deep concern. These designations have the potential to affect not only the six organisations concerned but civil society more broadly across the occupied Palestinian territory and to seriously undermine vital humanitarian development and human rights work. Again, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, underlined Ireland's position on this during his visit to the region and we have raised this consistently at the Security Council, including at the meeting on 23 February, where Ireland stressed our commitment to supporting civil society remains undimmed. We will continue to work closely with our partners on our response to these designations, including at EU level. Ireland is a consistent voice in the EU on the Middle East peace process and we work to utilise our influence at all levels.

Ireland and the EU will continue to monitor actively developments on the ground. We will remain committed to the two-state solution and will continue to work with partners to revive a political process in line with international law, which ensures equal rights and is acceptable to both parties.

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