Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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243. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline the steps that have been taken by the State with regard to the ongoing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50376/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland and our EU partners have consistently condemned the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, which is unjust, provocative, and undermines the credibility of Israel’s commitment to a peaceful solution to the conflict. The introduction and settlement of communities of the occupying power, to alter the demography of the area, is unambiguously illegal under international law. The process of establishing settlements also inevitably involves violations of the rights of the occupied population, through seizure of their land, discriminatory treatment and other restrictions.

The Government has consistently and repeatedly conveyed these concerns to the Israeli authorities, and highlighted them in our interventions at EU, UN and international level. In addition, I have raised these concerns directly with Israeli leaders during my visit to Israel and Palestine in July. Most recently, I issued a public statement on 20 October condemning the latest settlement plans.

In addition, Ireland has consistently argued at EU level in favour of a clear differentiation by the EU and the international community between the State of Israel, on the one hand, and the illegal settlements on Palestinian land, on the other. This policy was explicitly supported by the UN Security Council in Resolution 2334 in December 2016. The EU has already taken a number of actions in this regard. These include guidelines on labelling of goods from settlements, advice to businesses on the risks of investing in settlements, and forbidding the spending of EU research funding in settlements.

I have made it a high priority personally to support efforts to reach a comprehensive peace agreement to the Middle East conflict. I have met with the US Middle East team to encourage their work, and to underline what the EU sees as the key parameters for an agreement. I have also taken an active role on this issue in the Foreign Affairs Council, urging my colleagues to continue our work to help preserve and create the political and physical space in which the two state solution can be achieved. I visited the region earlier this year and met with representatives of both parties, and I hope to do so again in the coming months.