Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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72. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on the EU-Israeli Association Agreement review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47603/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, on 14 February 2024, the then Taoiseach and Prime Minister Sanchez of Spain wrote to the President of the European Commission requesting an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Furthermore, the letter requested that the Commission propose appropriate measures for the consideration of the Council, should it find that Israel is in breach of its obligations.

The EU-Israel Association Agreement provides that the relations between the parties will be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which constitute an 'essential element' of that Agreement.

I attended the EU-Israel Association Council earlier this year, which took place in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council on 24 February. The Association Council was chaired by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, and by Gideon Sa'ar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, in the presence of Dubravka Šuica, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, and representatives of EU member states. At the Association Council, the European Union recalled the importance of Article 2 of the Association Agreement.

In my intervention, I underlined that each of the EU’s bilateral relationships must be grounded in respect for international law and our fundamental principles. I expressed grave concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and underlined the EU’s call for full and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid. I made clear that the EU rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial changes in the Gaza Strip and stresses the importance of unifying Gaza with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority. I called attention to the EU’s strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and activities, and to all actions that undermine the viability of the two-State solution, including extremist settler violence.

The Government has always been of the view that the EU-Israel Association Agreement must be interpreted and applied in accordance with the obligations of the EU and its Member States under international law. These obligations have been clarified by the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of 19 July 2024.

In response to requests from a number of Ministers, on 20 May the EU Foreign Affairs Council agreed to a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The decision to conduct a review reflects the grave concerns held by Member States regarding ongoing Israeli military operations and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

It is clear from the finalised review that Israel is in breach of its human rights obligations. This is a significant finding. At the Foreign Affairs Council on 23 June, the High Representative said that she would communicate this clearly to Israel. The High Representative also briefed the European Council on the outcome of the review at its meeting on 26 June. I was clear with my EU counterparts at the June Foreign Affairs Council that there must now be concrete options for follow-up action to this review. At the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on 29-30 August, I called for immediate action in response to Israel’s breaches of its obligations under international law.

I welcome the announcement by the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, in her State of the Union speech on 10 September, that she will bring forward a package of measures in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

I welcome in particular that the Commission will propose a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on trade-related matters. This builds on the Commission proposal to suspend part of the EU’s Horizon funding to Israel.

I have always been clear that Ireland’s position on the EU-Israel Association Agreement is just one element of our efforts to shape EU policy.

In advance of the June Foreign Affairs Council, I joined nine other EU Foreign Ministers in writing a letter to the High Representative calling for the EU to undertake a detailed review of its compliance with the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ. On 26 August, the HR/VP responded that Commission services are currently conducting analysis on the extent to which the ongoing agreements follow the provisions of the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion, and that she hopes to share the outcome in the near future. Together with my counterparts, I will continue to press for this analysis.

The European Union can, and should, continue to do more to use the levers at its disposal to exert pressure on Israel. This will remain a priority for my continuing engagement at EU level.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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73. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on the Kallas' options paper, and on the engagements he, or his Department, have had with other EU states from a point of view of implementing some of the options as a means of sanctioning Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47604/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, on 14 February 2024, the then Taoiseach and Prime Minister Sanchez of Spain wrote to the President of the European Commission requesting an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Furthermore, the letter requested that the Commission propose appropriate measures for the consideration of the Council, should it find that Israel is in breach of its obligations.

The Government has always been of the view that the EU-Israel Association Agreement must be interpreted and applied in accordance with the obligations of the EU and its Member States under international law. These obligations have been clarified by the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of 19 July 2024.

In response to requests from a number of Ministers, on 20 May the EU Foreign Affairs Council agreed to a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The decision to conduct a review reflects the grave concerns held by Member States regarding ongoing Israeli military operations and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

It is clear from the finalised review that Israel is in breach of its human rights obligations. This is a significant finding. At the Foreign Affairs Council on 23 June, the High Representative said that she would communicate this clearly to Israel. The High Representative also briefed the European Council on the outcome of the review at its meeting on 26 June. I was clear with my EU counterparts at the June Foreign Affairs Council that there must now be concrete options for follow-up action to this review.

Ireland welcomed the inventory of possible follow-up measures to the review of the Association Agreement provided to Member States in advance of the July meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. At the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on 29-30 August, I called for immediate action in response to Israel’s breaches of its obligations under international law.

In this context, I welcome the announcement by the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, in her State of the Union speech on 10 September, that she will bring forward a package of measures in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank . I welcome in particular that the Commission will propose a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on trade-related matters. This builds on the Commission proposal to suspend part of the EU’s Horizon funding to Israel.

Ireland has been calling for meaningful EU action for some time, and I will work my counterparts to follow-up with the Commission on the detail of the proposals and how they relate to the previous options paper.

I have also strongly supported sanctions adopted by the EU against both individuals and entities involved in settler violence. Instances of settler violence have intensified in recent months. It is vital that the perpetrators of these crimes are held to account.

At the June Foreign Affairs Council, I joined nine other EU Foreign Ministers in writing a letter to the High Representative calling for the EU to undertake a detailed review of its compliance with the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ. On 26 August, HR/VP responded that Commission services are currently conducting analysis on the extent to which the ongoing agreements follow the provisions of the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion, and that she hopes to share the outcome in the near future. Together with my counterparts, I will continue to urge HR/VP for an urgent conclusion to this analysis.

In addition, I welcome the announcement by the Slovenian, Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch governments that they intend to take action at the national level to ban the importation of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

There is a clear opportunity now for the EU to take action, and Ireland will continue to work closely with like-minded Member States to advocate strongly for meaningful steps to be taken at the EU level.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018, and the possibility of dealing with services as well as goods, and any other sanction on Israel that is available to this State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47605/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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On 24 June, the Government approved the General Scheme of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill. This is a different piece of legislation to the Occupied Territories Bill 2018. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade held a number of hearings on the General Scheme, and received submissions representing a range of views and perspectives.

This Pre-Legislative Scrutiny is an important part of the legislative process. The Committee has now published its report. I have thanked the Committee for its work and I am considering the report and recommendations.

With regard to services, as I have stated previously, I have no policy difference with the opposition in relation to their inclusion, however, the regulation of trade in services is considerably more complex than is the case with goods and there remains considerable legal uncertainty as to whether their inclusion is permissible under EU law. I have asked the Attorney General for guidance to better understand the current legal position.

I welcome the announcement by the Slovenian, Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch governments that they also intend to take action at the national level to ban the importation of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

While these actions at the national level are welcome, it remains the Government’s preference that collective action should be taken at EU level and we will continue to pursue this.

Ireland continues to press for action at the EU level in light of the ICJ Advisory Opinion. This was a key focus of our engagement with EU partners in advance of the June Foreign Affairs Council and I joined nine other EU Foreign Ministers in writing a letter to the High Representative calling for the EU to undertake a detailed review of its compliance with the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ. On 26 August, HR/VP responded that Commission services are currently conducting analysis on the extent to which the ongoing agreements follow the provisions of the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion, and that she hopes to share the outcome in the near future. Together with my counterparts, I will continue to urge HR/VP for an urgent conclusion to this analysis.

I also welcome the announcement by the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, in her State of the Union speech on 10 September, that she will bring forward a package of measures in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

I welcome in particular that the Commission will propose a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on trade-related matters. This builds on the Commission proposal to suspend part of the EU’s Horizon funding to Israel.

The European Union can, and should, continue to do more to use the levers at its disposal to exert pressure on Israel. This will remain a priority for my continuing engagement at EU level.