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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 20 Jul 1989

Vol. 391 No. 7

Written Answers. - Killing of Palestinian Civilians.

32.

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government has made any recent representations to the Israeli authorities regarding the continued killing of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli security forces; if the Government favours the holding of a UN sponsored International Conference on the Middle East to try to secure a solution to the problems of that region; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

In a statement issued after the European Council meeting in Madrid on 26-27 June Ireland and its partners in the Twelve deplored the continuing deterioration of the situation in the occupied territories and the constant increase in the number of dead and wounded and the suffering of the people. The Twelve appealed urgently to the Israeli authorities to put an end to repressive measures, to implement resolutions 605, 607 and 608 of the Security Council and to respect the provision of the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Populations in Time of War.

The policy of the Twelve on the Middle East conflict is defined in the Venice declaration of 13 June 1980 and other subsequent declarations. It consists in upholding the right to security of all states in the region, including Israel, that is to say, the right to live within secure, recognised and guaranteed frontiers, and upholding justice for all the peoples of the region, which includes recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination with all that this implies.

Along with our partners in the Twelve we consider that these objectives should be achieved by peaceful means in the framework of an international peace conference under the auspices of the United Nations, as the appropriate forum for the direct negotiations between the parties concerned, with a view to a comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement. The Twelve have also stated their view that the PLO should participate in this process.

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