Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 November 2021
15. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will notify the Israeli government of Ireland’s objection and opposition to the forcible transfer and major dispossession of Palestinian property in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem (details supplied). [56446/21]
View answerI am concerned by the situation in and around East Jerusalem where tensions remain high.
Palestinian residents in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan have faced a longstanding threat of eviction. Settlement expansion in sensitive areas such as E1 around Jerusalem undermine the viability of a two-State solution.
During my recent visit to the region, I saw at first-hand the impact on Palestinian communities. In my meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, I conveyed in clear terms my concerns about the situation in East Jerusalem. I raised the recent announcement of plans for over 3,000 new housing units and called on the Israeli authorities to cease all settlement activity, which is illegal under international law as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2334.
Ireland’s Representative Office in Ramallah regularly visit Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, along with other diplomatic representatives and continue to monitor the situation closely, including attending legal proceedings on eviction cases. Ireland also funds a number of civil society partners that are active on human rights issues, which impact specifically on Palestinians in East Jerusalem, including in relation to evictions.
The Government's support for the 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 raised these issues with my EU counterparts at the Foreign Affairs Council and at the Security Council. Following recent settlement announcements, Ireland supported a request for the matter to be discussed at the Security Council on 8 November. The UN Deputy Special Coordinator in Jerusalem, Lynn Hastings, briefed the Council. Ireland underlined our concerns at the impact of this development on the viability of a future Palestinian State. Together with EU members of the Council as well as Norway and incoming member, Albania, Ireland made a joint press statement after the Council meeting highlighting the illegality of such settlements and calling for an end to them.
