Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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13. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he intends to publish his written statement to the International Court of Justice with regard to the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39685/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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On 30 December 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 77/247, which included a request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ/the Court) to render an advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Ireland voted in favour of this resolution, which was supported by 87 UN Member States.

The Court invited the UN and its Member States, as well as the observer State of Palestine, to submit information relevant to the questions asked by the General Assembly by 25 July 2023. In total, 57 statements, including a statement by Ireland, were submitted to the Court. The statement provided Ireland's legal analysis of the occupation and of issues related to Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Under the rules of the Court, during the written proceedings phase, all written statements are treated as confidential documents. The Court will decide whether to publish the written statements submitted to it on or after the opening of the oral proceedings. A date for these proceedings has not yet been scheduled, but they are likely to take place early in the new year.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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14. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will make a statement on his recent visit to the Middle East. [39711/23]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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19. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his visit to Israel, Palestine and Jordan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39771/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 19 together.

I visited Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and Jordan from 4-8 September 2023. In view of the continuing priority afforded by the Government to our relations with these partners and – in particular – the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this visit provided an important importunity to meet with my political counterparts and to engage with civil society partners active on the ground.

Given the deeply worrying trends and increasing violence that we are witnessing in the occupied Palestinian territory and which have been raised frequently in this House, I underlined Ireland’s concerns on several issues across all my engagements, notably the continued expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in breach of international law, terror attacks perpetrated against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, shrinking civil society space and the absence of meaningful political dialogue.

While visiting Israel, I met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer. I visited the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, Yad Vashem, and laid a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance, and the National Library of Israel, to view archives from the Genealogical History of the Irish Jewish Communities. I also visited Lod, a mixed Jewish-Arab city, where I was briefed by representatives of Abraham Initiatives, an NGO supported and funded by my Department, who work to promote engagement and dialogue between the two communities. I also delivered an address to the Israeli Council on Foreign Relations on Ireland's foreign policy priorities, and met with representatives of the civil society group Parents Circle.

During my visit to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, I met with President Mahmoud Abbas and with the Secretary General of Fatah’s Central Committee, Jibril Rajoub. I visited Beitunia Secondary Vocational School for Girls in Ramallah, which is supported by my Department as part of our overall funding to the Palestinian education, met with UN and NGO officials working on human rights and accountability issues and was briefed by members of the West Bank Protection Consortium, as well as meeting with members of a Palestinian Bedouin community at risk of displacement from their home due to intimidation and violence by settlers.

In East Jerusalem, I met with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. This was an important opportunity to discuss the situation regarding the Status Quo of the religious sites and the challenges being faced by Christian communities.

In Jordan, I met with King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H.E. Ayman Safadi. I also visited Khalda Refugee Registration Centre to meet with a number of United Nations agencies which Ireland supports, including UNHCR, the World Food Programme and UNICEF, as well as with Syrian refugees in the centre. I went to Hussein Technical University and met with the university faculty and participants in the ‘Embassy for Youth Entrepreneurship Programme’, and the winners of the Jordan Young Scientist 2023.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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15. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he made representations to President Herzog in respect of Palestinian children's access to education in Occupied Palestine on his recent visit to Israel. [39712/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I met with President Isaac Herzog on 7 September during the course of my recent visit to the Middle East. Our exchange covered bilateral relations between Ireland and Israel as well as other issues of mutual interest, notably the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

During our exchange, I shared reflections from my visit, the preceding day, to the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This included a visit to Beitunia Secondary Vocational School for Girls in Ramallah, a meeting with a Bedouin Palestinian family at risk of displacement, and a briefing by members of the West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC) and UN officials.

These engagements highlighted a range of troubling issues being faced by Palestinians, including the accelerating rates of settler violence and demolitions by Israeli authorities of WBPC-donor-funded humanitarian structures, such as a school in Ein Samiya in the West Bank. Such acts negatively impact essential education for Palestinian children.

I also discussed our concerns in respect of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory in my meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Cohen and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

Ireland has been proactive in ensuring that these issues are highlighted both locally and in international fora. Additionally, Ireland pursues compensation for demolished humanitarian structures with a group of EU Member States through the WBPC, having provided €300,000 in funding to the Consortium in 2022. This underlines our commitment to reducing the vulnerability of Palestinian communities living in Area C of the West Bank, including children’s access to education.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Antisemitism and the recent increase in both antisemitism and Holocaust denial are a matter of great concern to my Department.

I was pleased to have the opportunity to visit Israel recently and to reaffirm Ireland’s strong commitment to Holocaust remembrance and to combatting antisemitism during my visit to Yad Vashem.

I am committed to continued engagement on the issue of antisemitism through multilateral fora and to assisting with commitments undertaken in, for example, the context of the European Commission’s Strategy for Combatting Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life. This includes the appointment of a national coordinator for the Strategy's implementation.

I welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland in July and officials in my Department are in regular contact with the JRCI.

Ireland supports initiatives at the UN dedicated to combating antisemitism, including through co-sponsoring the UN General Assembly resolution on Holocaust denial and supporting UN Human Rights Council initiatives on combating antisemitism. Through our Embassy in Poland, Ireland has funded the work of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation since 2013. Our Mission network strongly supports Holocaust Remembrance work across the world.

Ireland is an active member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), and we share its commitment to strengthening, advancing and promoting Holocaust education, research and remembrance. My Department also supports expert engagement in the work of the IHRA, including by Holocaust Education Ireland.

With regard to the IHRA definition of antisemitism, Ireland indicated its position at the time that the definition was adopted: namely, that while we have no issue with the core definition, we have concerns about the illustrative examples which accompany the definition. Ireland continues to keep the question of adopting the IHRA definition under active review, including through consultation with key stakeholders.

Ireland’s priority, whether domestically or at international fora, is to ensure that all measures taken to combat antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion are meaningful and effective, and our commitment is steadfast in this regard.