Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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52. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her assessment of the intimidation and violence against the Palestinian people in the West Bank; the actions her Department is taking to increase the international pressure on Israel to halt their campaign of displacement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66647/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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While international attention is understandably focused on the ceasefire and need for implementation of the peace agreement in Gaza, including the need to urgently scale up humanitarian access, Ireland has not lost sight of the situation in the West Bank, where unprecedented Israeli military operations have caused widespread displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure and homes.

I am deeply concerned by illegal settlement construction, and increasing and escalating extremist settler violence, which continue in an environment of impunity, restricting life for Palestinians across the West Bank. The olive harvest this year has been marred by the highest levels of settler violence recorded over the past five years. The number of settlement plans and tenders advanced by Israel in 2023 and 2024 represents a 250% increase over a period of seven years since 2018.

Ireland, alongside our EU partners, is strongly opposed to Israel’s settlement policy and activities, including in and around East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law. This is the long-standing position of the European Union. Ireland has repeatedly called on Israel to immediately halt these activities and welcomes strong US statements clearly opposing annexation of the West Bank.

Ireland has strongly supported the sanctions adopted by the EU against both individuals and entities involved in settler violence. Ireland welcomes further proposals from the European Commission to sanction extremist Israeli ministers and violent settlers.

The West Bank must be centrally considered as work to implement the next phase of the Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza progresses, given its centrality to a durable peace plan with the implementation of the two-State solution as its central goal. Ireland continues to advocate for this at EU and international level. Ireland was active in preparing the UN High-level Conference on the Two-State Solution, held in New York from 28 - 30 July and the outcome document from the meeting – the New York Declaration – has been endorsed by 142 countries. Ireland is also an active member of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and will host a meeting of the Global Alliance in Ireland in early 2026, where we will share elements of our own experience of a successful peace process in Northern Ireland.

I am also extremely concerned about Israeli actions that severely hamper the functioning of Palestine’s economy and financial systems. Last week, I attended the inaugural meeting of the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels where I called on Israel to release the withheld tax revenues of over US$3 billion immediately and to urgently implement the Paris Protocol to ease the liquidity crisis facing the Palestinian Authority. Ireland has also joined the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority the purpose of which is to stabilise the Palestinian Authority’s finances and preserve its ability to govern, provide essential services, and maintain security, all of which are indispensable to regional stability and to preserving the two-State solution.