Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement in relation to conditions in Gaza; and his views on whether the international obligations to its people are being observed by those with an obligation as occupying forces and other forces. [23519/08]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the recent announcement of a large number of new houses and extensions to existing settlements near Jerusalem and its implications for the possibility of peace initiatives. [23520/08]

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the situation in Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23731/08]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has protested to the Israeli authorities regarding the continued expansion of settlements in the occupied territories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23728/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 74, 98, 107 and 122 together.

At the outset, I want to express the Government's strong welcome for the news today that Israel has confirmed its agreement to a deal brokered by Egypt for a ceasefire in Gaza, starting tomorrow morning. Deputies will be aware that the Government has been seriously concerned for some time about the dangerous humanitarian and security situation in Gaza, where the population of 1.5 million people have been facing unsustainable conditions of daily life and the constant reality and threat of lethal violence. We have argued that developments in the West Bank and Gaza underline the urgent need to restore momentum to the political process.

The Government and our EU partners have strongly supported the negotiations between the Israeli Prime Minister and the Palestinian President, which were launched at Annapolis last November. It is encouraging that, in the face of political and security challenges, they have pressed ahead with their talks with the objective of reaching a final status agreement by the end of 2008. However, there has been a growing concern in the region and internationally that events on the ground will undermine the political process.

An immediate priority must be to end all violence in and from the Occupied Territories. This includes Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza on Israeli towns and Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel and the Palestinians appear now to have taken a very important and courageous step towards ending the violence in Gaza and Southern Israel. They must be assured of the full support of the international community in the implementation of the truce agreement. The days ahead will be difficult for all sides. In addition to monitoring the ceasefire, sensitive efforts will continue to reach agreement on the re-opening of crossing points, and on future prisoner and hostage releases. I hope that there will also be agreement on the lifting of restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. The EU will give every possible support to the process. It has made clear that it is ready to resume the border assistance mission at the crucial Rafah crossing-point into Egypt in the context of an agreement between the parties.

The Government has consistently called for an end to the isolation of the people of Gaza. We have stated clearly that it is unjust and unacceptable to subject the people of the territory to measures which the UN has rightly described as amounting to collective punishment. It has also been politically counterproductive. I hope that in the positive atmosphere created by the ceasefire, early progress can be made on the initiative taken last week by President Abbas to open reconciliation talks between the different Palestinian groupings aimed at creating a strong consensus on the implementation of a two-State solution.

Decisive action is also now required by the Israeli Government to demonstrate a genuine commitment to a freeze on all settlement construction on occupied land. The Government strongly shares the growing international concern about a series of decisions in recent months to construct large numbers of new homes in settlements in and around Jerusalem. These decisions have a direct, negative impact on the political process. Ireland has been among the Member States most active in ensuring that the EU has conveyed its serious concern about settlement expansion directly to the Israeli Government at every opportunity, including the annual meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council in Luxembourg on Monday. The EU has made it clear to Israel that settlement construction anywhere in the Occupied Territories, including East Jerusalem, is illegal under international law. It also prejudges the outcome of final status negotiations and threatens the viability of an agreed two-State solution.