Vol. 577 No. 1
57 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the representations the Government has made to the Israeli Government regarding the building of a wall which divides the Palestinian people, occupies further Palestinian land and is in defiance of United Nations resolutions. [30465/03]
Ireland's opposition to the Israeli construction of the separation wall has been made known to the Israeli Government and its representatives on numerous occasions. At the EU-Israel Association Council in Brussels on 17 November, EU Foreign Ministers reiterated European opposition to his project when they told the Foreign Minister of Israel: The EU is particularly concerned by the route marked out for the so-called security fence in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The envisaged departure of the route from the "green line" could prejudge future negotiations and make the two-state solution physically impossible to implement. It would cause further humanitarian and economic hardship to the Palestinians. Thousands of Palestinians west of the fence are being cut off from essential services in the West Bank, Palestinians east of the fence will lose access to land and water resources. In this context the EU is alarmed by the designation of land between the fence and the "green line" as a closed military zone. This is a de-facto change in the legal status of Palestinians living in this area which makes life for them even harder. Hence, the EU calls on Israel to stop and reverse the construction of the so-called security fence inside the occupied Palestinian territories, including in and around East Jerusalem, which is in departure of the armistice line of 1949 and is in contradiction to the relevant provisions of international law.
Question No. 58 answered with Question No. 49.
