Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether his Department will make additional resources available to the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv in order to secure the safe passage of Palestinian students who have been awarded scholarships to study in Ireland in September; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42220/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland has consistently condemned the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and continues to urge all parties to do everything possible to support efforts underway to reach agreement on a new ceasefire and hostage release deal.

My Department, including Irish Embassies and Consulates worldwide, provides consular assistance to Irish citizens who get into difficulty abroad in accordance with its Consular Assistance Charter. The provision of consular assistance to Irish citizens is a cornerstone of the work of the officials in my Department.

Since the beginning of the crisis in Gaza, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has supported 153 persons to leave Gaza and travel to Ireland, including a small number of students. On 17 July, 9 Palestinian students arrived in Ireland from Gaza; these students will take up scholarships for the 2025/26 academic year under the Government’s Ireland Palestine Scholarship Programme which is supported through Irish Aid. The students will be supported by the Irish Council of International Students (ICOS), the Managing Agency for the Ireland Fellows Programme, in anticipation of their courses starting in September.

While, as you will appreciate, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Irish Embassies and Consulates worldwide are limited in the assistance we can provide to non-Irish citizens, I can confirm that we are actively exploring further options for the provision of assistance to individuals in Gaza who wish to travel to Ireland. This includes students who have been granted scholarships by Higher Level Institutions in Ireland for the upcoming academic year. Where a visa is required to enter Ireland, the relevant visa application will be reviewed in accordance with Irish legislation.

It should be noted that exit from Gaza is dependent on receipt of permission from the relevant local authorities, both in Israel and in certain circumstances neighbouring jurisdictions. Such permissions are outside the control of the Government of Ireland.

With regard to resourcing, my Department's consular response to the crisis in Gaza has involved officials working in Headquarters in Dublin, as well as Ireland's Embassies and Consulates in the Middle East region, including the Embassy of Ireland, Israel, and the Representative Office of Ireland, Ramallah. Resourcing of all missions is kept under review by the Human Resources Division and where necessary additional resources are assigned.

I wish to assure the Deputy that Ireland will continue to steadfastly advocate for an urgent end to hostilities and for unimpeded humanitarian access.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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75. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether his Department had any engagement with Israeli counterparts regarding the decision of the Israeli authorities to block the chair, a member and the secretariat of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine from entering Israel on an official mission of the European Parliament in February; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42224/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am aware that members of a European Parliament delegation undertaking an official programme were refused access to Israel. Lynn Boylan MEP, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Palestine, has written to me about the experience of the delegation.

My officials raised this matter with the EU Delegations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I would note that arrangements for this visit were handled primarily by the EU Delegation to Israel. I am advised that delegation members were refused entry to Israel under the ‘Law for the Prevention of Harm to the State of Israel through Boycotts.’ Parliamentarians from other countries have been refused entry to Israel under the same law.

I continue to regard this refusal as deeply regrettable. I reiterate that diplomatic and political contacts, including with those with whom we have fundamental disagreements on issues related to the conflict in the Middle East, are essential at this critical time in the region.

Members of the European Parliament are directly elected representatives of the citizens of the EU, and it is essential that democratic institutions are seen to reflect citizens’ concerns. This includes carrying out official travel on fact-finding missions or other visits which contribute to shaping the European Parliament’s external relations. MEPs as well as Parliament officials should therefore, where possible, be facilitated in undertaking such travel.