Apologies have been received from Deputies Allen, Connolly and Mulcahy and Senators Dardis, Lydon and McDowell.
I invite Deputy Ó Snodaigh to move the motion on the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
EU-Israel Association Agreement: Motion.
I move:
That this committee requests that the Government uses its position within the European Union to:
— express its grave concern at the illegal invasion of Lebanon by Israel in recent weeks, the slaughter of innocents, the confiscation of lands, the destruction of towns and property and the indiscriminate aerial bombardment of Beirut and other towns by Israeli armed forces and the indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hizbollah on northern Israeli towns and settlements;
— deplore all human rights violations and other violations of international law perpetrated during the course of this conflict, and calls for their immediate end;
— consider that the European Union has a moral obligation to use all diplomatic means at its disposal to bring an end to these violations and to promote an immediate withdrawal from Lebanon of Israel's invading army and call for a peaceful and negotiated settlement between Palestine and Israel;
— note with regret that grave and systematic human rights violations by the Israeli defence forces against the Palestinian people and in particular the collective punishment being carried out against the people of the Gaza Strip continue despite the repeated calls on the Government of Israel by the European Union to end these violations;
— note that the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement between the European Communities and Israel includes in its Article 2 a provision stating that the agreement is based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, thus providing a mechanism to bring the EU's influence to bear in cases of non-respect for human rights;
— note that parliamentarians throughout the EU have called for the use of Article 2 of the association agreement as a mechanism to bring about the end of these violations of human rights and international law by Israel;
— consider that the value of the inclusion of a human rights clause in the European Union's association agreements with third countries will be brought into disrepute if no action is taken on foot thereof given the lack of progress in addressing Israel's human rights violations through other mechanisms; and
— therefore request that the Government ensure that the Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs propose to the General Affairs and External Relations Council the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement under Articles 2 and 79, until such time as there has been a significant and measurable improvement in compliance with international human rights standards.
Some might feel that the context of this motion has changed since I had first hoped to have it discussed in July or early August at the height of the conflict in Lebanon but the motion is still valid. It is similar to the amendment to a motion proposed by Deputy Mulcahy last year, during Ireland's Presidency of the EU.
A clause in the trade agreement between the EU and Israel allows the suspension of the agreement in the case of major human rights abuses by either side. The trade agreement should be suspended to demonstrate the outrage of the EU at the activities of Israel in July and August in particular but also the ongoing activities of the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. The conflict is in a period of cessation but Israeli forces are occupying parts of southern Lebanon.
Cluster bombs and other weapons contrary to UN regulations and international agreements were used in this conflict. The people who must foot the bill for clearing the southern Lebanese territories of such weaponry, which targets civilians, are the Lebanese or the UN but not the Israelis. The motion calls on our Minister and the EU to forcibly put the point to the Israelis by withdrawing the preferential trade agreement until they agree to fully respect commitments given when they signed up to the preferential trade agreement with the EU.
A previous motion was unanimously agreed by the committee. Events have overtaken the need for this motion. The Taoiseach, the Government and the Minister for Foreign Affairs have clearly outlined the Irish position on the situation in Lebanon and the attitude of the Israelis. The determination to deal with the issue and have it resolved is clear. In my opinion, it is not necessary to proceed with this motion because much progress has been made. The Minister should observe the situation on an ongoing basis on our behalf.
Deputy Ó Snodaigh tabled a valuable motion. It is a pity the motion was not before us much earlier, which would have been the time to debate it and take a position. Since the motion was tabled, much water has passed under the bridge and many developments have taken place. A ceasefire was declared in Lebanon and United Nations troops are in place, with more on the way. Arrangements have been made by all sides in the conflict.
In recent days, we heard a coalition government will be formed in Palestine between Hamas and Mr. Abbas of the PLO and Fatah and much progress has been made on that matter. I expect funds to Palestine which were not directed through the Hamas government will be channelled through the new coalition government. Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs comment on that? A breach of human rights occurred and the manner in which the Israeli Government invaded the sovereign state of Lebanon in retaliation for the abduction of two soldiers was completely unacceptable. Nevertheless, it would be best to note this motion and move on.
I understand why Deputy Ó Snodaigh tabled this motion a month or two ago but it will not help the situation to introduce it at this stage. I remember being asked in the United States to explain in a few minutes the situation in Northern Ireland. That occurred after the Good Friday Agreement was signed approximately five years ago and it was not easy to do. A number of people approached me afterwards to state they did not understand why the British were there and did not leave. I fear we are in danger of taking a similarly simplistic attitude to what happens in an extremely difficult situation in the Middle East.
I am concerned the motion does not touch on the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers nor the fact that Hizbollah was supported by Iran and Syria. It does not refer to the fact that Israel left Lebanon of its own accord some years ago and that this attack came from Lebanon. A solution, namely the roadmap which includes the two-state solution, is on the table. That solution will not be easy to achieve, no more than it was easy to achieve a solution in Northern Ireland. A motion such as this, which is one-sided and does not bear any relationship to the balance which must be taken into account, was worthy of debate a month or two ago. However, it does not serve any useful purpose to debate it now.
I understand the points made by members on the motion. The motion accords with the statement made by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, which recommended that Ireland should raise the implementation of sanctions on Israel under the terms of Article 2 of the Euro-Med trade agreement at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers on the grounds of human rights abuse. As I noted in my introduction, this issue does not pertain only to Lebanon. Although progress has been made in that regard since the motion was first submitted in July and the situation has improved in Lebanon due to the ceasefire and the deployment of UNIFIL troops, I remind members of the ongoing abuses of human rights and the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure taking place in Palestine and, in particular, the Gaza Strip. In the past two and a half months, 47 children have been killed and 196 injured, along with four journalists who were injured during the same period. Ambulances travelling to help the injured have been obstructed during the course of this one-sided conflict. The motion before us deplores the abuses of human rights and other violations of international law committed by all sides. We hope to see success in the efforts to form a new coalition government in Palestine but such a government will not survive unless the seven Cabinet members and 41 Members of Parliament captured by the Israelis are released. Some of the activities of the Israeli forces in south Lebanon and the Palestinian State are aimed at perpetuating rather than addressing the conflict.
We could consider a suspension of this motion but a similar suggestion was made when I made my original proposal during Ireland's EU Presidency because it was said that the motion would not be passed. In the meantime, however, the conflict has continued and anybody who examines the figures with regard to death and destruction will understand how one-sided it has been.
Senator Quinn is correct that I did not address specific violations of human rights or the events leading up to the capture of the soldiers. Similarly, however, I did not rehearse the entire history of the Palestinian conflict because my motion pertains to the situation at hand. I did not mention the US or other international players, even though these countries are intertwined in the events taking place in the region. I want to ensure that Israel, which is party to an agreement with the European Union, is held to account for targeting civilians and killing UN soldiers because it seems that the Israelis are not being sanctioned for their actions.
This matter will be discussed in the Dáil when we are asked to agree to the deployment of Irish soldiers to the region. Will Irish soldiers also be targeted by the Israelis in the event of a renewed outbreak of hostilities? That is the reason for my motion. I am not trying to simplify or solve the conflict but to ensure that the Israeli Government and others in the region understand that the EU will not stand idly by but has some clout in this region, in terms of the preferential trade agreement, and is willing to use it.
It is up to the Deputy as to how we proceed. As he is aware, the Minister will appear before the committee after this discussion and he can ask him these questions.
I do not seem to have the backing of the committee, which is regrettable. I will not labour the point but will raise it with the Minister again. I would like the motion noted so it is on the record. If the conflict is sparked again on the scale witnessed in July and August, I will revisit it. I hope the committee will back me at that stage.
If anybody is interested, there is a list of actions by the Israelis in Palestine on the website of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights which has been acknowledged by the UN. It lists what is happening there which has been forgotten because the media focus was on Lebanon. The focus is now elsewhere and people seem to have forgotten about the potential for these conflicts to explode again in this region. Unless the world is willing to give as much help as possible and to be firm, we will have to revisit this motion.
Is it agreed to note the motion? Agreed. We have been in discussion with the Embassy of Israel and the new ambassador to Ireland has agreed to appear before the committee in the near future to answer questions put by members. We will let the committee know about that.
Sitting suspended at 11.22 a.m. and resumed at 11.24 a.m.