Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2018
127. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has discussed issues (details supplied) with his Israeli counterpart; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50630/18]
View answerI have consistently made very clear on behalf of the Government that settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are contrary to international law. The relentless processes by which Palestinians are pressured from their homes and off the land, in order to make way for Israeli settlers, are a daily reminder of the urgency of bringing this occupation to an end. These processes include the impossibility of obtaining planning permission for permanent structures, demolitions, denial of fair access to water for farming and livestock, and a legal regime which leaves many ordinary civilians governed by Israeli military law, rather than being governed by laws and judges who represent the community being governed.
We have on many occasions discussed specific cases here in the Oireachtas. These policies are in evidence across the Occupied Territories: in East Jerusalem, in communities such as Khan al Ahmar, across the West Bank, and on the Golan Heights. They constitute institutionalised injustice against the people under occupation. I made a statement specifically on the situation in Khan al Ahmar in May of this year, noting that this vulnerable Bedouin community, who have already been expelled once by Israel from their former homes in the Negev area, are again threatened unjustly with forced removal, and calling on the Israeli authorities to halt the demolitions of Palestinian property and the removal of Palestinian communities.
As I have reported on many occasions, these concerns form a constant element in our dialogue with the Israeli authorities, whether at Ministerial level, or at diplomatic and official level. I stated the Government's views on settlements directly with Israeli authorities during my visits to Israel and Palestine in July 2017 and January and June 2018.
Ireland also pursues this issue in UN fora. At Israel's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in January, Ireland raised the continued expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, and urged that Israel abide by its international legal obligations, including under the Fourth Geneva Convention, on the treatment of a civilian population under military occupation.
The issue of settlements also forms a major element in the concerns expressed by the European Union about Israeli policies, and Ireland inputs strongly into EU discussions on these matters. I and my EU colleagues have particularly highlighted our concerns about the village of Khan al Ahmar on a number of occasions.
The continuation of the settlement project is a major obstacle to peace negotiations, and undermines the credibility of Israel’s commitment to a peaceful solution to the conflict.
