Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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24. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on sending observers to the sentencing court on 8 February 2015 following the conviction of Abdallah Abu Rahme, a Palestinian peace activist who has been convicted for holding peaceful protest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2654/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the case of Abdallah Abu Rahme, who was convicted of obstructing military operations in the West Bank, by blocking a military bulldozer engaged in construction. His is one of a series of cases of concern related to the protests around construction of the separation barrier on Palestinian land belonging to the villagers of Bil’in.

The size of the Irish mission in Ramallah makes it impossible to attend such court cases on any but an exceptional basis. Cases can be long and unpredictable, and are frequently adjourned, and access to them is not always permitted.

Nonetheless, in certain cases it can be important to have an international presence at court hearings, to demonstrate clearly that proceedings are under scrutiny. For this reason EU missions in the Palestinian Territory regularly exchange information on upcoming cases, and consider if it will be possible for one or more partner to be present at a given case. I will ensure that the case of Mr. Abu Rahme is considered in this regard.