Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 615: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the plight of Palestinian school children who are being denied their full rights to an education due to the travel restrictions being placed on up to 700 teachers by Israel; and his views on whether the continuation of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement with Israel is acceptable in view of this infringement of basic human rights. [25724/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the situation to which the Deputy refers. It arises from the overall restrictions on movement which the Israeli security forces have applied in the occupied Palestinian territories and east Jerusalem. The Government shares the widespread concern about the effects of these restrictions, and in common with our EU partners, we continue to urge the Israeli authorities to address the issue by easing restrictions and reducing the number of checkpoints.

Article 2 of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement with Israel reinforces obligations which already fall to the signatories with respect to human rights. Meetings of the Association Council with Israel provide the opportunity for the EU to highlight its concerns on the human rights implications of Israel's security policies.

I do not believe that suspension of the association agreement, which would require consensus within the European Union, would serve the interests of any of the parties. There is also a strong argument that such action could seriously undermine the role of the EU in the peace process and create difficulties in implementing programmes of assistance to the Palestinian Authority.