Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will advance the proposal that a permanent secretariat be established in order to advance proposals for peace in the Middle East such as the road map for peace and other initiatives by the quartet and others. [24981/07]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland supports the establishment of a Palestinian State; and the steps that can be taken to assist in the achievement of this objective. [24904/07]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Irish Government's position in relation to the recent decision by the Israeli Government to appropriate the land of four Palestinian villages for the purpose of building new settlements and a new highway which will cut east Jerusalem off from the West Bank, in view of the fact that such actions are in flagrant breach of the agreement that the 1967 borders will not be changed except by agreement and is also in breach of the prohibition on building new settlements on Palestinian lands. [24999/07]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 315: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the recent statement by UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mr. John Dugard, that the UN should withdraw from the US dominated international quartet, in view of that body's failure to respect Palestinian human rights and that the EU should also consider withdrawing from the quartet unless it drops its unconditional backing for Israeli positions. [25269/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 318: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline and report on the developing situation in relation to the Middle East with particular reference to the Israeli-Palestinian situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25470/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 91, 108, 138, 315 and 318 together.

Ireland is a long-standing and active proponent of the establishment of an independent Palestinian State. The Government has argued strongly within the EU and internationally that a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East is more urgently needed now than at any time in the past sixty years. It must be based on a peaceful, lasting and just two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There is now a real opportunity for progress. At our meetings in Luxembourg and Lisbon last week, EU Foreign Ministers reviewed progress in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and the preparations for the international meeting in the U.S. in November. We believe that the current opportunity must be grasped in order to restore credibility and momentum to the peace process. The EU has stated that concrete results must be achieved, leading to meaningful final status negotiations. These will have to address and resolve the most sensitive and difficult issues at the heart of the conflict.

The EU has a crucial role to play, working directly with the parties and as an active member of the international Quartet. The EU and its Member States have been the strongest supporters of the Palestinian people. Total EU assistance this year will amount to over €800 million. Irish assistance will increase to over €7 million. We will work for the success of the major international donors conference for Palestine which will be held in Paris before the end of the year. The EU is determined to provide all necessary political and humanitarian support to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, and the building of democratic institutions and a viable economy.

I have seen the recent comments of the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights. The Government greatly values his work in the human rights field. However, I do not believe that it is productive at this point in the political process to enter into a debate on possible withdrawal from the Quartet by the UN or anyone else. It is no secret that we have been among those Member States which have sought to strengthen the Quartet, and the EU's voice in it. The Quartet will have a crucial role to play in the period ahead, on the Palestinian track and with Arab States working to develop the historic opportunity offered by the Arab Peace Initiative. Depending on developments, it may be that a proposal for a permanent secretariat could usefully be considered, in order to add focus to the work of the Quartet and the various international envoys active in the region. We would judge any such proposal on the contribution it can make to the achievement of the strategic objective of a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In the meantime, the EU continues to make it clear that all parties must meet their obligations under international law. We remain deeply concerned at violence in the region, the continued expansion of settlements and the construction of the security barrier on occupied land. These and other practices in the Occupied Territories are contrary to international law and threaten the achievement of a viable settlement. The EU has explicitly raised with the Israeli Government the reported decision on the expropriation of Palestinian land near the major settlement bloc East of Jerusalem. I also raised the issue of settlement expansion and the plans for the E1 corridor East of Jerusalem in the most direct terms with the Israeli Foreign Minister when I met her earlier this year. We will continue to raise our concerns on these issues with the Israeli authorities.