Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 111: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to facilitate international observers, parliamentarians and non-governmental organisations to observe the forthcoming Palestinian Authority elections which are planned to take place in May 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3575/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Presidential and Parliamentary elections in the Palestinian Authority have been due for some time. Elections have been scheduled or announced on a number of occasions and for various dates, but these have fallen through. The problems relate to the difficulty of holding elections across the entirety of the Occupied Territories, and specifically in Gaza, which is under the de facto control of the Hamas movement and not the Palestinian Authority, which remains in control of the West Bank. In the absence of a lasting agreement between the Fatah and Hamas movements, it has been impossible for the Central Electoral Commission of the Palestinian Authority to operate in Gaza, and so to prepare for elections there.

Recent progress in reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas have renewed hopes that elections may soon be scheduled, and there is a growing acceptance that they cannot be postponed indefinitely. May 2012 has been spoken of in this context, but that date has not yet been firmly announced. It is thought more likely, to allow the Electoral Commission time to prepare, that an election announced now would fall slightly later than May.

The European Union has long planned to send an electoral observation mission to the Palestinian elections, whenever they are scheduled, and Ireland has actively supported the maintenance of this as a priority in the EU's electoral planning. It is obviously not easy to earmark resources for elections which are not yet scheduled and have been repeatedly postponed, as there are many other elections elsewhere which should if possible also be attended by EU observers. It would be my intention that Ireland nominate suitably qualified individuals to serve as electoral observers with any EU electoral mission which may eventually be deployed to monitor Palestinian presidential and parliamentary elections.