Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 January 2017
349. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the Israel Defense Forces raid and demolition of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran on 18 January 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3829/17]
View answerI am aware of reports of the incident in question, including the tragic loss of two lives, and the effective demolition of the village, which had been threatened for some years.
The issue of the ‘unrecognised’ Bedouin villages in the Negev has been the subject of considerable political debate and legal action in Israel itself, as well as the subject of international attention, including here in Ireland, where we have discussed it before in the Oireachtas.
The issues are complex, but critical background must include the recognition that it can be very difficult for Bedouin or Arab villages to get official recognition or approval in Israel, and that many of these villages have been in situ for decades, their residents having been earlier expelled from their lands elsewhere in the Negev. It behoves Israel therefore to make every effort to resolve their position peacefully and by consent, so far as is possible.
One cannot but be struck therefore by the contrast with the enormous lengths to which the authorities go to avoid executing similar orders against Jewish settlements and outposts illegally constructed on Palestinian land, and the use of extensive physical force in this case, including recourse to live fire.
The Irish Ambassador in Tel Aviv met leaders of the Arab minority, including a number of members of the Knesset Joint List, last week, and received a detailed briefing on their concerns. The Embassy will continue to monitor developments consistent with the heavy demands on our limited resources in the region, including the issues in the occupied territory which must remain a primary focus of our efforts.
