Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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148. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his recent trip to the Middle East and his meetings with the foreign Minister of Israel, Mr. Avigdor Lieberman, the Palestinian President, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr. Rami Hamdallah. [12200/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question 155 on 25 February, which was as follows: "From 15^thto 19^thFebruary, I visited Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territory.

I had also intended to visit Jordan but it was not possible to visit on this occasion due to deteriorating weather conditions. I hope to reschedule that visit in the near future.

In Lebanon, I had the opportunity to meet with the UNIFIL Force Commander, Lieutenant General Portolano, who briefed me on UNIFIL's operations and, in particular, on the impact on those operations of the continuing regional instability. I also visited the Irish UNIFIL troops and I had the honour of laying a wreath at the memorial in Tibnin in honour of the Irish soldiers who have died in UNIFIL service.

The primary purpose of my visit to Israel and the Palestinian territory was to gather information and develop a deeper understanding of the situation on the ground in the context of the Middle East Peace Process.

What was striking overall was that increasing instability, in particular arising from the conflict in Syria and the violence unleashed by the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, but including the deteriorating situation in Yemen and Libya, is casting a shadow over the entire region.

I met with a range of interlocutors, including the Foreign Minister of Israel, Avigdor Liberman, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah. I did not meet with Hamas in Gaza.

I also met with UN agencies and with civil society groups to develop a better understanding of the issues faced on all sides.

In Gaza, I was struck by the desperation of the humanitarian situation for so many people on the ground. There, I met with Pierre Krahenbuhl, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

I visited an UNRWA school and a temporary shelter for families displaced by last year's conflict, where I met with a number of families directly affected by the conflict.

In my subsequent meeting with Foreign Minister Liberman, I raised the need to make further progress in lifting the blockade, to meet humanitarian need and as an enabler of social and economic progress.

One of the big challenges for the reconstruction of Gaza is that much of the money committed at the Cairo Conference on Reconstruction has not yet materialized. I was pleased to announce funding of €4.7 million for UNRWA and the UN's Emergency Response Fund in the course of my visit. I hope that other donors can move quickly to deliver on their commitments.

I also met Israelis living near the border with Gaza who live in fear of Hamas attacks.

In the West Bank, I saw at first-hand the impact of settlements, including on the daily life of Palestinians. In my meeting with Minister Liberman, I raised the issue of settlements and the fact that their continued expansion is a threat to the viability of a two-State solution.

At the end of my visit, I had an opportunity to discuss the situation with the Quartet representative, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

I also had a telephone conversation with the leader of Israel's Labour Party, Isaac Herzog, who has strong links with Ireland.

In all of my meetings, I emphasised the need for political leadership and risk-taking.

Israel is currently in the middle of an election and I hope that we will also soon see elections to the Palestinian Authority.

I met last month in Dublin with the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, and I spoke with her again from Israel last week.

She is committed to increasing the EU's engagement in the Middle East Peace Process. She is proposing a reappraisal of the EU's approach and how it can best contribute to creating the conditions for a resumption of purposeful negotiations aimed at the achievement of a two-State solution in cooperation with other key players.

This accords with my own thinking, and my visit will enable me to contribute substantively to the discussions she will convene.

I also had a number of engagements not directly related to the Middle East Peace Process.

I visited the site of Teva, an Israeli pharmaceutical company that employs more than 500 people in Ireland. This was an important reminder that Ireland's relations with Israel are, and should be, multifaceted.

I was also honoured and moved to lay a wreath at Yad Vashem, the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust."