Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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177. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he plans to consult with EU partners concerning the implementation of the differentiation principle between Israel within its internationally recognised pre-1967 borders and the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; if he is satisfied that Ireland and the EU are completely fulfilling their legal obligations based on non-recognition of Israeli sovereignty over these territories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28965/21]

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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179. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the precise mechanisms that are in place in his Department to ensure that all bilateral agreements with Israel apply only to Israel proper and do not benefit those territories illegally occupied by Israel in 1967; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28968/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 179 together.

UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted on 23 December 2016, calls on all States to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967. The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on the Middle East Peace Process reports to the UN Security Council on the implementation of this Resolution.

Ireland has consistently and strongly opposed settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, and will continue to do so.

In keeping with differentiation, Ireland’s bilateral agreements with Israel do not apply to territories occupied by Israel in 1967.

The Department of Foreign Affairs ensures that there is information available for the public and companies regarding Ireland's policy on settlements via the Department's website. A whole of Government approach is applied to the policy of differentiation and my Department also supports other Government Departments by providing guidance and clarification on the policy of differentiation.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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178. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in efforts to ensure that the UN database of all business enterprises involved in activities relating to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory is regularly maintained and updated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28966/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is wholly opposed to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, which are contrary to international law, and is committed to upholding relevant UN Security Resolutions on settlements. It is critical however that action against settlements must be both lawful and well-considered, since actions which are not fully thought-through risk ultimately being unwound, thereby undermining the cause they aim to support.

In March 2016, the UN Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 31/36, calling upon the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to produce a database of all business enterprises involved in activities relating to Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

The terms of the Resolution as adopted by the UN Human Rights Council were very broad, with the associated risk that this could potentially lead to unfair and counter-productive outcomes. The EU Members of the HRC therefore abstained in the vote on the Resolution. Despite these reservations, Ireland fully cooperated with requests for assistance by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the task they had been assigned.

Ireland has always sought to protect the independence of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and notes the High Commissioner’s commitment to discharge the mandate of the HRC Resolution 31/36 in a legally, factually and methodological sound manner. The database was published by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in February 2020. The Human Rights Council did not specify implications for entities listed in the database or put forward recommendations on how the information therein be used. In her report to the Human Rights Council’s 46th Session, the High Commissioner reported that it was not possible for her Office to update the database on an annual basis due to the substantial resource implications.