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Middle East

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020

Tuesday, 28 July 2020

Questions (23, 24)

John Brady

Question:

23. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps he will take if the threatened Israeli annexation of part of the West Bank takes place. [18484/20]

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Cian O'Callaghan

Question:

24. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts he has made at a European Union and at broader international level to prevent the Israeli annexation of the West Bank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19031/20]

View answer

Oral answers (11 contributions)

I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Brady. What steps will the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade take if the threatened Israeli annexation of part of the West Bank takes place? It could be argued that, in reality, certain parts of these lands are already occupied. That is the reality and that is what the dispossessed people of Palestine have been dealing with. They have nobody but us to make their argument. I request that the Irish Government do everything it can to put pressure on the international community and the Israeli Government.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 24 together.

As the Deputies will know, I have given a very high priority to the Middle East peace process since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2017 and I will continue to do so as Minister with responsibility for foreign affairs and as Minister for Defence. I have personally been very engaged in efforts to keep the issue high on the international agenda and have made four working visits to Israel and Palestine, most recently in December 2019. 

The unilateral annexation by Israel of any part of the occupied Palestinian territory would be a very clear violation of international law. It would have no legitimacy, would not be recognised or accepted by Ireland or by the international community more generally and would be deeply damaging to the two-state solution. 

The programme for Government states that the Government will:

Continue to work with other Member States to give leadership within the EU to oppose any annexation or plans to apply Israeli sovereignty over territory in the West Bank, which is part of the occupied Palestinian territory. The Government would regard any such moves as a breach of international law and would consider an appropriate response to them at both national and international level.

I have been forthright in my public statements on the issue of annexation. As I said on 23 April, in a statement which remains in line with the position of this Government:

I think it important, as a friend and partner of Israel, to be very clear about the gravity of any such step. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law, including the UN Charter, whenever and wherever it occurs, in Europe’s neighbourhood or globally. This is a fundamental principle in the relations of states and the rule of law in the modern world. No one state can set it aside at will.

Ireland has made every effort over the past year to discourage this step. I have raised this matter directly and clearly with Israeli leaders in person including with the Israeli foreign minister this week and during my visit to the region last December. I have also made our position on this very clear to the current Israeli Government in recent days. My officials continue to convey our views to the Israeli authorities. I have also outlined my serious concerns about possible annexation in discussions with US representatives, most recently the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

I have engaged extensively with European partners, with a view to encouraging strong EU messages, both public and private, against such an action. When this was discussed at the video conference meeting of EU foreign ministers of 15 May, there was broad agreement that the EU and its member states should convey our concerns directly to the new Israeli Government. That outreach is ongoing. I welcome the very clear statements by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, who has stated that annexation could not pass unchallenged and would inevitably have significant negative consequences for the relationship between the EU and Israel. 

Ireland consistently takes the opportunity to raise this issue at the UN. At the Security Council, Ireland recently outlined our position on annexation in a statement issued on 21 July. This follows previous Irish statements on the Middle East in the council in April and January of this year. Ireland also spoke out against annexation at the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 15 June.

Annexation would seriously undermine efforts to find a negotiated solution that respects the legitimate positions of both parties. I will continue to work to keep this issue on the international agenda and to prioritise the Middle East peace process, among other issues, as we prepare to take up our seat on the UN Security Council next January.

Even prior to formal annexation, the settlements, which the Israeli Government has promised to maintain at all costs, obviously constitute a de facto annexation. History has shown that Israel has taken different approaches at different times. Will the Minister give us any answers he has received to the questions he has posed to the Israeli ambassador and the Israeli Administration? The Minister was one of 11 EU leaders to sign a previous letter regarding sanctions. There have been EU proposals with regard to sanctions in respect of Crimea. At what point will we put the required pressure on with regard to the Israeli Government's violations of humanitarian and international criminal law?

The Minister correctly said that the proposed annexation would be contrary to international law. It is also correct to say that the illegal settlements are contrary to international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. Will the Minister and the Government be pushing for sanctions against Israel so that we can uphold international law? It is welcome that the Irish Government was one of 11 European governments to push for action against Israel in respect of this annexation but what actions are the Minister and Government going to take with regard to the current breaches and gross violations of international law? It is not enough for us to be against proposed breaches in the future; we must stand up against current breaches and violations of international law. I ask the Minister to address those points.

I thank both Deputies for their questions and for their clear interest in this issue. It is important to say that I have been consistently vocal with regard to settlements in occupied territory and their expansion in recent years. This is something of which Ireland and the EU have been consistently critical. I have been quite public in that regard through my statements at the level of the UN and the EU and in a number of bilateral meetings with the Israeli Prime Minister and other Israeli representatives.

It is important to say that very clearly. Annexation in some ways would be a step considerably beyond what is currently an unacceptable situation in terms of expanding settlements, because it is about formally extending Israeli sovereignty to land that is not Israeli land; it is Palestinian land. That would fundamentally impact on the relationship between the EU and Israel and we have an obligation to signal that very clearly to the new Israeli Government in a way that is direct, which is what has happened. Many EU governments and Ministers, including me, have asked the European Commission to put a list of options on paper as to how the EU could or should respond should annexation proceed. However, it is important to say that it has not proceeded to date. The new Israeli Government has significant challenges in terms of Covid-19-----

-----and its economic impact as well as health impact. That is my understanding of the priority and focus of the new Israeli Government right now. We will continue to do everything we can to discourage any moves to annex land that is not Israeli land.

I welcome what the Minister says. My only difficulty with all of this is the fact that the Israeli Government does not particularly care what anybody else thinks unless pressure is put on it, and the EU is willing to put on the required pressure, similar to what was done regarding Russia and Crimea. I welcome the fact that he has requested a list of actions by the EU. These need to happen whether Israel goes for the possible 30% annexation of the West Bank, a more limited amount, or if it aims for the continuity of the illegal occupation by a nuclear power against a dispossessed people. The power differential here is significant. As much as people might want to maintain a nice cosy relationship with Israel, the fact is that Israel needs to be put under whatever pressure is necessary until it starts to behave as a proper nation.

I welcome the consistent criticism of illegal settlements and breaches of international law by the Minister and the Government. However, I am concerned at the distinction the Minister draws concerning annexation. He says if annexation goes ahead it will affect the relationship between Israel and the EU. The relationship between Israel and the EU should be affected by the existing illegal settlements that are contrary to international law. It is not just any relationship between the EU and Israel. Israel has a preferential relationship with the EU. It gets preferential trade and it is involved in the EU Horizon research programme. There should be no tolerance of breaches of international law. What has been applied to Russia following its annexation in Crimea and the breaches of international law in that regard should also be applied to Israel's breaches of human rights and international law. I ask the Minister to be more than just vociferous on the issue and to outline the action that will be taken against Israel.

I do not accept the point that the Israeli Government does not care. It does listen to what the international community says. Sometimes it takes action in a way that is contrary to the views of many countries, including in the EU. Recent years have been very damaging to a peace process that is very fragile right now in the context of the Middle East peace process. I understand why Irish people have been frustrated by moves that have damaged the prospect of a two-state solution. Expanding settlements is part of that, as well as other decisions that have been made, in particular in regard to Jerusalem in recent years. What we are about right now is sending a very clear signal to a new Israeli Government, which is a different government from the previous one. It is a coalition government comprising a number of different parties that have different perspectives on how they should approach this issue. The focus should be on intense diplomacy and clear language to provide a deterrent to the extension of Israeli sovereignty to lands in the West Bank, which are Palestinian lands. Any change in borders has got to be negotiated and agreed by both parties and not simply imposed by one. Ireland's view is very clear on that and has been made in a respectful but direct way to the new Israeli Government.

Ceist Uimhir 25 is in the name of Deputy John Brady but Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú has been nominated to ask it.

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