Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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319. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a report on his recent trip to Israel and Palestine; whom he met and the subjects discussed; his views on the current state of play in the Middle East peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18220/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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In the course of my visit, I met with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu. I also met with the leader of the opposition in the Knesset, Mr. Isaac Herzog, and with the Chair of the Knesset’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Mr. Avi Dichter.

In Ramallah, I met with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr. Rami Hamdallah, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Riad Malki.

I also met with the Deputy Commissioner of the UN Relief and Works Agency, Ms. Sandra Mitchell, and with the local office of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance.

My visit to the region was planned before the scheduling of the French-hosted conference on the Middle East Peace Process, which took place in Paris on 3 June and in which I participated, but it afforded a timely opportunity to follow up on that meeting.

In all of my political meetings, I made clear my support for the French initiative, which aims to inject new momentum into the stalled peace process through international support and engagement. I said this based on my own assessment of the situation and based also on the experience of the peace process on this island in which international support, from the US and elsewhere, proved invaluable at different times.

The Palestinian side has publicly welcomed this renewed international engagement and I discussed in some detail with Minister Malki his priorities for follow-up to the Paris conference. The Israeli Government have said clearly that they do not see value in this approach and repeated their wish to move to direct negotiations with the Palestinians, without wider international involvement.

In my meetings I made clear the interest of the members of this House and of the Irish public in the Middle East Peace Process.

In my meetings, I also discussed a range of more specific issues, including the expansion of settlements and the threat they pose to the peace process, the serious humanitarian situation in Gaza and the progress that has been made in reconstruction there as well as the limited improvements that have been made in access for goods, and the prospects for Palestinian reconciliation in the talks that have been taking place between Fatah and Hamas.

My visit came shortly after the 8 June terrorist attack in Tel Aviv and the security situation in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories was discussed.

The implications of developments in the wider region, in particular the ongoing conflict in Syria were discussed in some detail. In this context, I also visited the Golan Heights and met with the Irish troops serving with the UN Disengagement Observation Force there. My visit reinforced once again the very urgent need to bring a political resolution to the horrific conflict in Syria which has cruelly ended and shattered so many innocent lives.

The Middle East Peace Process remains stalled. In explicit recognition of the view that the status quo is not sustainable, the French Government have been working to mobilise international to help advance the prospects for peace. This is not an easy task but it deserves and will receive our full support.