Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 755: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether it is consistent policy for Ireland to oppose the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank while at the same time allowing goods originating from those illegal settlements to be sold in the market here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33061/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland's position on settlements is very clear, and has been consistently stated on many occasions in the Oireachtas, most recently in reply to Question 784 of the 16th September. Israeli settlement building, whether in East Jerusalem or in the West Bank, is illegal under international law and represents a primary obstacle to the two-State solution. Continued expansion of these settlements undermines the viability of a Palestinian State and makes the realisation of that goal harder to achieve.

The daily and cumulative injustices and humiliations which the whole settlement process entails for the Palestinian population serve to increase the risk of another large scale descent into violence. Within the EU, Ireland has worked hard to keep a sharp focus on this issue, and to ensure that the EU's concerns about settlement expansion are made known to the Israeli Government at every opportunity. I have also personally raised my deep concerns about the issue directly with Israeli leaders and officials, both here and in Israel.

Trade relations with Israel are governed by the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which provides for preferential rates of duty on imports, in the same way as with many other countries. It is clear, however, that goods originating in settlements outside Israel proper are not entitled to avail of these preferential rates or exemptions, and full customs duties should be paid on them. This has been a subject of discussion between the EU Commission and Israel, and various measures have been established to make it possible to distinguish between Israeli and settlement goods. There are obvious difficulties in ensuring that this is 100% effective, and there is ongoing consideration of how this might be improved.

Control of imports into Ireland, including the identification of point of origin, are matters in the first instance for the Irish Customs Service.