Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 22: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps he will take in applying pressure on Israel to seriously address the underlying reasons behind the growing protests of Palestinian political prisoners and to end the large scale practice of internment without charge or trial known as administrative detentions. [32291/12]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 26: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of human rights non governmental organisations based in Palestine that the Israeli Government and prison service are not honouring all of the terms of the recent agreement that culminated in the ending of a mass hunger strike by Palestinian political prisoners and the possibility that the hunger strike may resume with all the potential political instability that may cause; and the efforts he is making to ensure that all sides honour their commitments to this agreement. [32300/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 26 together.

I have stated in reply to previous Questions that I was pleased that the recent hunger strikes were resolved, and in particular that the Israeli authorities had been willing to make changes to the issues which were the subject of the protests. I was particularly pleased that there may be some mitigation of the use of administrative detention, which I have already spoken out against, although its use has regrettably not been discontinued altogether.

I have seen some reports that suggest that some elements of these agreements are not, or have not yet been, fully implemented. But it is very difficult to take a firm view on this as neither the authorities nor the organisations working with the prisoners have made clear what were the objects of the protests and what were the agreements which ended it. I continue to be encouraged by the pragmatic way in which both sides prevented these protests developing to a tragic end, as can so easily happen. I look to both the authorities and the prisoners to speedily fulfil any undertakings they have made. Our views on these issues have been conveyed clearly to those concerned.