Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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219. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to provide full diplomatic recognition to Palestine following Sweden's decision on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38848/14]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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223. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will follow the example of the Government of Sweden and offer full recognition to Palestine as a sovereign and equal nation state; his response to the change in policy by Sweden with regard to the impact it will have on efforts towards a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38867/14]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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224. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the full recognition of the State of Palestine; and the steps he will take on this matter following the recognition of the State of Palestine by the Kingdom of Sweden. [38881/14]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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225. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on giving formal recognition to Palestine as a State. [39011/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 219 and 223 to 225, inclusive, together.

Ireland supports the full achievement of a Palestinian state. We believe this should happen soon. Our policies are designed to be supportive of the negotiated comprehensive peace agreement which we believe is fundamental to the achievement of this objective.

I believe substantive political talks on a peace settlement must take place as a matter of urgency and I reiterated that view recently at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference hosted by the Governments of Norway and Egypt on 12 October in Cairo.

I am conscious of Sweden’s new approach and Ireland’s position will continue to be evaluated in light of our own assessment and that of all our EU Partners.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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220. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his response to the ongoing slaughter of innocent journalists and aid workers by Islamic State; the steps he will take in conjunction with our international partners to tackle the rise of IS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38861/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I have been appalled by the atrocities perpetrated by ISIS, including the murders of journalists and aid workers. As I have stated previously, there needs to be accountability for all such actions, including through referral to the International Criminal Court. The international community is responding to the very considerable threat which ISIS poses, not just to the Middle East but to us all. In Ireland’s case, we are working closely with our partners in the EU and through the United Nations to coordinate our efforts and to strengthen the tools at our disposal. A special meeting of the European Council on 30 August 2014 called for accelerated implementation of a package of measures agreed in June 2013 concerning four priority areas: prevention of radicalisation, detection of suspicious travel, investigation and prosecution and cooperation with third countries. The European Council will review this issue in December 2014.

The approach being taken by the European Council is consistent with the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014) on foreign terrorist fighters which was adopted unanimously on 24 September 2014. Ireland co-sponsored the Resolution along with 103 other States, including all other EU member states.

The Resolution takes a comprehensive, human rights compliant approach to tackling the foreign fighters problem in accordance with international law. It highlights the need to tackle the underlying causes of radicalisation through community outreach initiatives, while at the same time focusing on strengthening legal and security measures. This comprehensive strategy in the Resolution is very much in line with Ireland’s approach to the issue.

Our approach nationally combines preventive measures and capacity to prosecute terrorist-related behaviour. In terms of preventive measures, An Garda Síochána monitors the movements of those suspected of involvement in extremist behaviour. In tandem with that the Gardaí operate a progressive community relations programme through the Racial Inter-Cultural and Diversity Office.

As regards capacity to prosecute, existing 2005 legislation already provides for the offences of terrorist bombing and terrorist financing. My colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, has published new legislation; the Criminal (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2014, which when enacted will create three new offences: public provocation to commit a terrorist offence, recruitment for terrorism and training for terrorism.

A comprehensive solution to the challenge posed by ISIS must also embrace efforts to promote a political settlement in Syria, based on the Geneva principles, as well as international support for the new unity Government in Iraq, encouraging it to pursue inclusivity and reconciliation.

We recognise also the immense humanitarian impact of the current conflict and to date we have disbursed over €28 million to humanitarian relief since the beginning of the Syrian conflict.