Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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329. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has plans to introduce an embassy in Palestine. [57872/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Irish representation in the occupied Palestinian territory is provided by Ireland’s Representative Office in Ramallah, which has been open since 2000.

The Representative Office promotes relations between the Irish and Palestinian people. The Representative Office works closely with the European Union, United Nations, and other international organisations in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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330. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of times that he has met with the Palestinian ambassador to date in 2022. [57873/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Middle East Peace Process continues to be a key foreign policy priority for Ireland, and I have had extensive engagements with representatives of the Palestinian Authority since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The Palestinian Ambassador Head of Mission was present in my meetings with the Palestinian President and Foreign Minister in September and May of this year. These discussions focused on the worrying situation on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territory, and Ireland’s continued support for a two-State solution. The Ambassador Head of Mission was also present in my meeting with the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in May. I also met with the Ambassador Head of Mission during the conference on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) on 18 November.

Further to my direct contacts, officials in my Department are in contact with the Palestinian Ambassador Head of Mission in Dublin on an ongoing basis. Ireland also actively engages with the Palestinian Authority through Ireland’s Representative Office in Ramallah.