Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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94. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will review all trade between Ireland and Israel in view of continued illegal Israeli settlements, breaches of international law and ongoing violations of the rights of Palestinian children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14219/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government has consistently strongly opposed expansion of Israeli settlements, breaches of international law, and human rights violations, and argued for stronger international action on these matters. The specific question of applying a trade ban to exert pressure on Israel over these questions has been raised very frequently in the Oireachtas, and successive Governments and Ministers for Foreign Affairs have made it clear that they do not consider such actions would be feasible, effective, or productive, and we therefore do not support them. Ireland exists in a trading union, and our external trade frontiers and rules are those of the European Union. There is no support whatever at EU level for trade sanctions on Israel.

It is also worth recalling that the great majority of our trade with Israel is Irish goods and services sold to Israel, and that the impact of such a ban would therefore be felt almost entirely in Ireland.

Ireland has pressed for and been instrumental in the adoption by the EU of a number of measures to differentiate between EU relations with Israel and the illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian Territory. These have included excluding settlement goods from lower tariff rates, guidelines on labelling settlement goods, advice to business and citizens about investing in settlements, and rules that prevent EU research grants from being spent in settlements. We continue to examine the scope for further such measures.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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95. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he formally raised the issue of trade with illegal settlements at the last meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14209/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Israel Palestine conflict did not feature on the agenda of the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 19 March, having been discussed at the January and February meetings.

I have corresponded with the Deputy on the question of raising the specific aspect of trade with settlement goods. I have no difficulty with discussing this at European level, but it is a matter of judgement what is the most important and fruitful aspect to try and advance at any given time or meeting.

Ireland has already previously raised at EU level the question of whether settlement goods should be excluded from the EU market – this being a separate question from suggestions of sanctions on trade with Israel, which we do not support. In addition, the EU and its Member States are in near continuous discussion and negotiation at official level on all aspects of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, including many which bear in some way on questions to do with settlements and settlement goods.

It is absolutely clear from these continuous contacts that there is no possibility whatever of getting substantial support, still less consensus, for a proposal to exclude settlement goods. The reality is that a substantial number of EU partners are highly resistant to such proposals, precisely because they consider them to be steps towards a trade ban, which they will not at this point countenance. Advocacy on this issue would only be likely to be counterproductive for other ideas we might pursue.

We have therefore instead focussed our efforts in relation to settlements on practical measures to differentiate in EU policies between Israel itself and the illegal settlements. This has resulted in a number of EU measures already, including guidelines on labelling of settlement goods, and exclusion of settlement institutions from EU research funding. I have, nevertheless, asked my officials to continue to explore further such options, as well as the potential for them to gain support from EU partners, and such discussions at official level will inform my continuing assessment on how best to take this issue forward.