Written answers

Thursday, 22 October 2015

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Middle East Issues

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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313. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on any discussions held with European Union counterparts regarding the situation in occupied Palestine. [37064/15]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Middle East Peace Process (MEPP) features regularly on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council. It was discussed in detail at the Council’s meeting on 20 July. It was also discussed by Ministers at their informal, or Gymnich, meeting last month in Luxembourg.

The Council Conclusions adopted and published at the July Council meeting were wide ranging. They reiterated the EU’s commitment to the two-state solution, stressing the urgency of ending the conflict; called for donors to increase funding for Gaza given the dire situation there and called for an end to the closure of Gaza and urged all Palestinian factions to work for intra-Palestinian reconciliation to strengthen the two-state solution.

The Conclusions reaffirmed the EU’s support for the development of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the empowering of Palestinian institutions; recalled the illegality of settlements and the EU’s opposition to settlements, demolitions and confiscations, evictions, forced transfers, settlement outposts, settler violence and restrictions on access and movement and renewed the EU’s commitment that all EU-Israeli agreements must explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Foreign Affairs Council has not yet discussed in detail the current upsurge in violence, primarily in and around Jerusalem, which is a matter of deep concern. I expect that this issue, and the underlying causes, will be discussed at the next meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 16 November.

For my part, I have argued consistently at EU level that, despite the other crises in the region that demand attention, we cannot leave the MEPP to one side: the situation is highly unstable and continuing to deteriorate on the ground, such that the very feasibility of the two state solution we have so long worked for is now in doubt.

I have urged the EU to re-examine its policies on the MEPP and to seek to make them more effective.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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314. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he or his Department have had any contact with the Israeli embassy or with the Israeli authorities regarding the current situation in the occupied Palestine. [37065/15]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The clearly deteriorating security situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, in particular around East Jerusalem, is a matter of very great concern to me, as it is to the wider international community.

The visit to the region this week by the UN Secretary General underlines the depth of this concern.

While I appreciate the frustration of those who see no political end in sight, it does not justify resorting to violence. Violence will not bring a solution to the long-standing challenges facing the Israeli and Palestinian people.

The current wave of attacks and the resulting security response has created a sense of deep insecurity which is impacting on the daily lives of both Israelis and Palestinians.

I appreciate fully the concerns of Israelis about their security, and I condemn all violent attacks.

At the same time, it is clear that the current violence is a symptom of deeper issues. In the absence of a clear political process, frustration and even despair will continue to grow.

Last year’s conflict in Gaza is still fresh in all of our minds and it serves as a reminder of how situations can escalate quickly, with terrible consequences.

Local leaders, on all sides, must look beyond the immediate, and beyond a mere security response, and to address the underlying issues.

Political leadership, including from the international community, needs to address the problems of the relentless expansion of settlements and the absence of any process aiming at the end of the occupation.

Our Ambassador to Israel has spoken with senior Israeli officials on a number of occasions since the beginning of this upsurge in violence, and has directly conveyed my concerns about the situation.

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