Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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11. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware that Israel is illegally withholding significant tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority, which it controls as a result of its ongoing illegal occupation; if the Government has raised this issue directly with Israel or at international fora; if the State will press for the release of this revenue to the Palestinian Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17699/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There is a strong consensus at EU and international level that Israel must release revenues withheld from the Palestinian Authority.

In June 2024, the European Council stressed that actions weakening the Palestinian Authority must stop and called on Israel to release withheld clearance revenues and to take the necessary measures to ensure that correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks remain in place.

The EU High Representative called on Israel to release withheld tax revenues at the meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council in February. It is also a call that Ireland has consistently made of Israel in its bilateral contacts and at the United Nations. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa underlined the urgency of this issue during our meeting in February in the margins of the Munich Security Conference. In this regard and in line with the position of the European Union, I reiterate my call upon Israel to immediately release these withheld revenues and to cease unilateral actions that undermine the viability of the two-State solution.

I welcome that the EU’s High-Level Dialogue with the Palestinian Authority will be held directly after the Foreign Affairs Council in April. The dialogue will provide a high-level forum for political exchange and an opportunity to express the EU's support for the Palestinian Authority.