Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 58: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in view of his statement to Dáil Éireann on 13 July 2011 that the continuing occupation and the creation of illegal settlements on the occupied lands in Israel is the major obstacle to peace in the Middle East, the way he envisages these obstacles being removed, in the light of Israel's refusal to halt settlement building and end the occupation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2344/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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As the Deputy has noted, I have made clear my view that the continuing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories, and the ongoing settlement construction project, are now the major obstacles to a lasting peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours, including the Palestinians. Settlement construction is in the first place illegal under international law, and inherently involves injustice to Palestinians and further erosion of their rights and freedoms. Furthermore, settlement construction not only undermines the ability of Palestinian leaders to pursue negotiations with Israel, but increasingly makes it difficult for such negotiations to be successful, by making the creation of a viable Palestinian state increasingly hard to achieve on the ground. It is difficult not to conclude that this is the deliberate intention of many of those who support the settlement project, which is facilitated and actively supported by the Israeli Government, and which could not proceed without such support. Ultimately, only the achievement of a comprehensive peace agreement will resolve the issues of the occupation and settlements, and the pursuit and support of a peace process remains the major priority of the EU and the international community, despite the many frustrations this has entailed. The two sides are at present tentatively engaged in a talks process initiated by the Quartet last September, and we will continue to do all we can to support this.

However, I agree with the view that more also needs to be done to pressure Israel to suspend actions on the ground which work against peace, in particular the continuing expansion of the settlements. In my view, the international community has not done all it could in this regard. I will continue to argue strongly for more action in this regard, in my contacts both at EU level and elsewhere.