Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to new legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset which may lead to the forcible displacement of thousands of Palestinians from East Jerusalem (details supplied); his views on whether this is a draconian measure that represents an opportunistic and cruel land grab which will forcibly distort the demography of East Jerusalem as an attempt to perpetuate and reinforce the Israeli occupation of Palestine; and if he will contact his Israeli counterpart to protest the passage of this new legislation. [14198/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I share the Deputy’s concern about this recent legislation. Israel has already used other measures in certain cases to revoke residency rights of East Jerusalem Palestinians, quite clearly in order to alter the demographic balance of the occupied area. This is explicitly prohibited in international law, and Israel has no right to do it. The European Union issued a very clear statement on this issue on 9 March, which was as follows:

This week, the Israeli Knesset adopted legislation which empowers the Israeli Minister of Interior to revoke the permanent residency status of persons involved in terrorism, treason or espionage.

The European Union rejects terrorism in all its forms, and the crimes set out in this legislation are very serious. However, the new law could make the residency status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, a protected population under International Humanitarian Law, even more precarious than it already is today. The new law could be used to further compromise the Palestinian presence in East Jerusalem, which would further undermine the prospects of a two-state solution.

In line with international law, the European Union does not recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967, including East Jerusalem, and does not consider them to be part of Israel’s territory, irrespective of their legal status under domestic Israeli law.

The European Union will closely monitor if and how this new law is applied to Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

I fully endorse and repeat those comments.