Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 January 2023
333. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will raise the fact Israeli forces killed more Palestinians in the West Bank in 2022 than in any other year since 2005 at the EU or UN level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3042/23]
View answerI am deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation on the ground in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Ireland has engaged actively on this issue, including in the context of our tenure on the UN Security Council. At a meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on 19 December, Ireland highlighted that 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians living in the West Bank since the UN began recording fatalities in 2005. Following the meeting, Ireland led a joint press statement with a number of States, which noted this tragic milestone and called for timely, transparent, and independent investigations into all civilian casualties.
I discussed the security situation in the West Bank in a phone call with the Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riad Malki, on 18 January, during which he shared his deep concern at the deteriorating situation. I also welcome that the Foreign Affairs Council on 23 January provided an opportunity for both Prime Minister Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Malki to raise these troubling developments with the EU collectively.
