Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 July 2018
53. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which the situation in Gaza and the West Bank continues to be monitored by international interests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28931/18]
View answerThe situation in Gaza and the West Bank continues to be a major topic of international interest and discussions, even as multiple other crises and conflicts currently afflicting the wider Middle East region also demand our attention. International attention is focused both on specific issues and events in Gaza and the West Bank, and the broader objective of a resolution of the conflict and an end to the Israeli occupation, something which is essential for the long term future of the Palestinian territory, and indeed also for Israel.
At EU level, issues relating to the Israel-Palestine conflict are regularly discussed at both Ministerial and official level. In the last six months, for example, the members of the Foreign Affairs Council have held meetings on the margins of the Council with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Abbas, and the group of Arab Foreign Ministers, as well as discussing the situation in Gaza specifically at their meeting in May.
The same issues are also discussed regularly at UN level, at the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council.
In the last year, the United States Government has also been working to develop an initiative to restart negotiations for a final peace agreement.
Ireland has worked consistently to encourage international attention to this long running conflict. I have made three visits to Israel and Palestine, including Gaza, in my first year in office, and there and elsewhere I have held numerous meetings on the subject with Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, European and American interlocutors. I have focused on pressing for stronger EU engagement notwithstanding other problems in the region; on encouraging and seeking to shape the US initiative; and on exploring practical ideas to improve conditions on the ground, especially in Gaza. The situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territory will remain high on my agenda.
