Ireland has been consistently vocal in its opposition to illegal settlements and their expansion. The Government's support for a Dáil motion earlier this year, declaring that Israel’s settlement policy in occupied Palestinian territory amounts to unlawful de facto annexation, reflected our grave concern about the scale and character of settlements and their negative impact.
I have conveyed in the strongest terms my concerns about settlement announcements to the Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid. Ireland’s Ambassador in Tel Aviv has also raised the issue directly with the Israeli authorities. Ireland's Representative Office in Ramallah has made a number of visits along with EU colleagues to sensitive sites of concern in the West Bank.
We will continue to proactively raise our concerns about settlements at national and EU level, in statements at the UN Human Rights Council, the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council, and in our bilateral contacts.
The human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory more generally remains a matter of serious concern. The promotion and protection of human rights is an integral part of Ireland’s foreign policy and we consistently seek to raise our concerns on human rights issues through the most appropriate and effective channels.
In February, Ireland made a statement in the interactive dialogue with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, where we stressed the importance of accountability for all violations of international law committed in the occupied Palestinian territory.
In March, at the Human Rights Council session, Ireland co-sponsored Resolutions on Human Rights and Accountability, Self-Determination and Settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. We also made a national statement under Item 7 during the General Debate, which urged Israel to halt settlement expansion and demolitions and allow for legal construction for Palestinian communities.
In May, Ireland supported a special session of the Human Rights Council on the escalation of violence. The Human Rights Council voted to establish a Commission of Inquiry on the oPt at that session. In keeping with our principled position on Commissions of Inquiry established by the HRC, Ireland supports the work of the Commission of Inquiry.
Ireland regularly raises these issues also at the Security Council, including on 29 September, when Ireland chaired the Council’s monthly meeting on the situation in the Middle East.
Ireland also provides financial support to Israeli and Palestinian NGOs working on human rights issues.
