Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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17. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to make a statement on the submission by the Irish Government to the International Criminal Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory; and to confirm if the submission will be published. [41458/23]

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 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.