Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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62. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her views on the situation in the West Bank and the recent measures adopted by the Israeli Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38024/26]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Ireland remains focused on the situation in Palestine, including in the West Bank. Unprecedented Israeli military operations have caused widespread displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure and homes.

I am deeply concerned by the sharply deteriorating situation in the West Bank, in particular the massive expansion of settlements and rampant and escalating settler violence, which continues in an atmosphere of impunity.

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 longstanding position of the European Union. Ireland has repeatedly called on Israel to immediately halt these activities.

Ireland has strongly supported the sanctions adopted by the EU against both individuals and entities involved in settler violence. At the Foreign Affairs Council last week, EU Member States were able for the first time to reach a political agreement to sanction Israeli extremist settlers and entities. This is an important step forward.

I have consistently expressed my deep concern regarding the decisions taken by the Israeli Security Cabinet to expand Israeli administrative control over the West Bank. These measures contravene international law and are part of an established pattern to create a new status quo in Palestine.

I condemned the law passed by the Israeli parliament to expand the scope of the death penalty and revive its implementation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. I underlined my particular concerns about the discriminatory nature of the Bill as it relates to Palestinians. Ireland urges Israel to withdraw the death penalty law and to maintain the longstanding de facto moratorium on executions and capital punishment sentencing with a view to abolishing the death penalty entirely.

Ireland is continuing to press for appropriate action in response to egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles. I welcomed political agreement at the May Foreign Affairs Council on a package of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers and entities, as well as leading Hamas figures, under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. I once again called on the EU to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, or at a minimum to suspend the trade elements of the Agreement as previously proposed by the European Commission. I also requested that the Commission bring forward a proposal to prohibit trade with Israeli settlements in the oPt on the basis of the EU’s Common Commercial Policy, for decision at the June Foreign Affairs Council.