Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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869. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will support the students at Bethlehem University by strongly condemning their exclusion from the European Union Student Mobility Programme, ERASMUS, while Israeli students are permitted full membership but Palestinian institutions such as the University of Bethlehem are not; his views that this is unfair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37338/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Palestinian students are fully eligible for participation in ERASMUS programmes, as are Israeli students, and are not excluded as suggested.

It has been the case that some students may have been deterred from taking part in ERASMUS by more general movement and access difficulties experienced by Palestinians, in terms of exiting and re-entering the territory, and questions of residency rights. In the past this has applied particularly to students from East Jerusalem or, more recently, Gaza.

I have had no recent information that this has continued to be a significant problem. I have asked our mission in Ramallah to be alert to this issue, insofar as resources permit, and if the Deputy has any specific information bearing on this issue my Department would be glad to receive it.

We have from time to time discussed in this house the ways in which Bethlehem University in particular has been affected by wider movement and access restrictions, and we have raised these issues with the Israeli authorities. I would be quite willing to do so again.