Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 375: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to a report from the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Relief and Work Agency that the Gaza Strip is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster due to lack of money and of basic food supplies; and if he will raise this matter at the level of the EU the UN and with representatives of the Israeli Government. [15385/06]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, and the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, are both key partners in Ireland's programme of assistance in Palestine. Ireland provides annual funding to both of these agencies and we liaise closely with them through Ireland's representative in Ramallah. In 2005, Ireland delivered over €4 million in development and humanitarian assistance to Palestine. Some €2 million of Ireland's funding was provided to UNRWA and €500,000 of this was ring-fenced for Gaza.

The Government is extremely conscious of the need to continue assistance to Palestine, including Gaza, with particular emphasis on meeting humanitarian needs. In response to UNRWA's appeal for funding, Ireland provided early funding of €1.5 million to UNRWA in 2006. This was core funding which allows UNRWA to respond flexibly to the challenging situation on the ground. Ireland will continue to respond to emerging humanitarian needs in Palestine, and we have made clear that we are determined to maintain the overall volume of our assistance to Palestine.

The situation in Gaza has, however, become increasingly difficult because of restrictions on access and movement to and from the area. Last year Ireland provided €200,000 in support of the EU border assistance mission at Rafah, which was established to give effect to the EU's third party role in the implementation of the agreement on movement and access concluded between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on 15 November last. I share the general concern expressed about the failure of the parties so far to reach agreement on the implementation of the other elements of that agreement, and in common with our EU partners the Government has consistently called on both parties to implement their commitments.

Moreover, the situation in Gaza is of course bound up with wider developments in the Middle East peace process, including the consequences of the election of the Hamas Government. At the meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 10 April, it was agreed that the EU would review its assistance to the Palestinians, against the new Government's commitment to the principles set out in the quartet's statement of 30 January. The council recalled that the absence of such commitment will inevitably have an effect on direct assistance to that Government. The EU will, however, continue to provide necessary assistance to meet the basic needs of the Palestinian population. In the review process, Ireland will press for a generous and wide-ranging interpretation of what constitutes such assistance. At the same time, positive movement from Hamas would greatly facilitate such an approach and would serve the interests of the people of Palestine.

The council also urged Israel to take steps to improve the humanitarian and economic situation of the Palestinians, including by resuming transfers of the withheld Palestinian tax and customs revenues. I can assure the Deputy that Ireland will, both nationally and in the multilateral framework, do all that is within our capacity to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, while being cognisant of the wider political realities.