Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps the EU has agreed to help achieve progress in the Israeli - Palestinian conflict; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44901/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The EU has a clear and long-standing policy that the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or Israeli-Arab conflict must be a two-state solution, involving a sovereign state of Palestine co-existing peacefully with Israel. Ireland has made a strong contribution from the outset to the development of this policy. It has now become broadly accepted by almost all parties as the goal which must be achieved if this conflict is to be settled. Regrettably, progress towards this goal has been much less satisfactory. The EU acts supportively in a number of ways. First and foremost, we seek to encourage and press both parties into engaging in serious direct negotiations, because we recognise that this is the only way to reach a comprehensive agreement and to end the occupation. Frankly, we have been very disappointed by the inability to get talks restarted. The reasons are complex but primarily there has been little real engagement by the Israeli Government in the process.

The EU is also active in relation to specific issues on the ground which we believe are having a negative effect and threaten to make a peace agreement based on a two-state solution impossible to achieve. The Foreign Affairs Council in May issued strong Conclusions, to which Ireland actively contributed, which highlighted these issues, many of which revolve round Israeli settlement building, and which called for urgent changes in policy. I am pressing for a follow-up Council discussion within the next couple of months.

Finally, on the Palestinian side the EU is the major provider of humanitarian support for refugees and technical support and capacity-building for the Palestinian administration. Ireland plays an active role in all of these strands of engagement, including through support provided by Irish Aid.