Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 January 2016
295. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will ask the Israeli authorities why approximately 350 acres of crops, all less than the regulation 40 cm in height and newly planted by Palestinian farmers in Gaza, have been destroyed by Israeli crop sprayers operating in the access-restricted areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3746/16]
View answerI am aware of two recent reports of crop spraying in the restricted area on the Gaza side of the border fence. This practice is now said to have been going on for some years, but to have just come to wider attention.
The Israeli NGO Gisha, which is supported by Ireland, has put a series of questions to the Israeli authorities about the reasoning for the action and what chemicals have been used. The spraying of any kind of toxin onto crops intended for consumption is a matter of concern, and an issue on which people anywhere tend to be very sensitive. It is important therefore that Israel discloses fully what it has been doing, and I would urge them to do so. It would seem likely that any agent sprayed may also have drifted onto fields on the Israeli side of the fence.
The broader issue of the restrictions on Gaza, including the restricted zone along the fence, remain a significant concern at EU level, and were addressed in the Conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council on 15 January.
