Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 January 2023
63. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether efforts to further the search for peace in Palestine have been further hampered as a consequence of the inflammatory rhetoric and actions emanating from the newly elected Government in Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4613/23]
View answerI was beginning to think the Tánaiste had forgotten he had taken on the new role of Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Would the Deputy believe my pass would not work and I was locked in?
There are no free passes here.
As it is my first opportunity to question the Tánaiste as the new Minister for Foreign Affairs, I would like to congratulate him on taking on that role. I look forward to our engagement over the next while.
I will start off our questions with a question on foot of the new Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, taking office in an extreme right-wing Government. Unfortunately, we have seen a continuation of inflammatory language and, worse still, over 35 Palestinians being killed since the start of this year.
This is an introduction.
I ask the Minister whether he sees prospects of moving a peaceful dialogue forward jeopardised now as a result of this new right-wing Government.
I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks. I appreciate them and I look forward to working with the Deputy and others on these issues.
At the outset, I want to put on record again my strong condemnation of last Friday's shocking attack in Jerusalem, and to convey my thoughts and sympathies to the victims and their families.
Turning to the Deputy's question, it is Ireland's long-standing position that policies and practices of successive Israeli Governments relating to illegal settlements and their expansion, as well as expulsions, forced transfers and demolitions, undermine prospects for a two-state solution and are a major obstacle to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
We have also repeatedly underlined that long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians cannot be achieved through the use of excessive force or by acts of violence by anyone. I was appalled by the violence during an operation by the Israeli security forces in Jenin last Thursday, resulting in the death and injury of a number of civilians. I am also very concerned by the sharp rise in settler violence in recent days.
It is imperative that all policy responses and actions are in line with international law and contribute to de-escalation. Now is not the time to double down on responses that only serve to inflame tensions. Proposals announced earlier this year to further expand settlement activities are deeply concerning. I also urge that there be no repeat of unilateral actions that undermine the status quo of the holy sites.
The imposition by the Israeli Government of punitive measures on the Palestinian people, following the request by the United Nations General Assembly for an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, was not acceptable and should be reversed.
In addition, a number of the steps proposed by the Israeli Government on Sunday in response to the terrible attack on Friday evening give rise to significant concern.
These tragic developments serve as a stark reminder of the need to break this continuing cycle of violence. The current trajectory cannot be sustained. The focus of all parties, including the international community, must be on urgent de-escalation and on the restoration of a genuine political horizon. The only lasting solution to the conflict can be through relaunching meaningful negotiations between the parties on realising a two-state solution.
This is the most right-wing government in the history of Israel. It came to power on the back of an agenda that can only contribute to the worsening violence and to the way in which Palestinians are treated. We have seen since the start of the year that more than 35 Palestinians, including eight children, have been killed. Unfortunately, that has led, as the Tánaiste mentioned, to the killing of Israelis in Jerusalem last week. We see a ratcheting up of tensions. That has come about following the inflammatory language and actions of the new Israeli Government. These actions should not be a surprise. In May 2021, the House adopted a resolution stating that Israel had breached international law by annexing Palestinian land, and it continues to do so. The Israeli Government has said it will go further in annexing more Palestinian land, including parts of East Jerusalem. The time for rhetoric has passed. We need action. What action are the Government and the Tánaiste, who has responsibility for foreign affairs, prepared to take now to hold Israel to account for its continuous breach of human rights and international law?
We are concerned about the situation in Palestine and about the position of the new Israeli Government, especially in the context of its attitude towards expansion. There is real concern regarding the statements that have been made, the visit to the holy site and so on. Ireland has been active on this issue at the UN Security Council over the past year and a half to two years, so much so that UN Secretary General Guterres has been appreciative of the Irish effort. At European Union level, we and like-minded countries have pursued justice and fair play for the Palestinians. The EU remains the Palestinian Authority's biggest donor. Last week at the Foreign Affairs Council, Prime Minister Shtayyeh and the foreign minister, Mr. al-Maliki, of the Palestinian Authority gave a presentation. It was a useful exchange. We are pushing for a stronger relationship between the European Union and the Palestinian Authority, for an annual dialogue and an association agreement between the Palestinian Authority and the European Union in order to achieve a better balance in the context of the relationship between the EU and Israel as opposed to that between the EU and the Palestinian Authority.
The Minister is right to be concerned about what is happening on the ground, but this has not just come about since the start of the year. It has been a systematic approach by successive Israeli Governments to displace Palestinians from their land, demolish and destroy their homes and disperse them into fragments of their land. We need to move beyond the rhetoric of concern. We need definitive action from the international community, the EU and, in this instance, the Tánaiste.
This Dáil unanimously agreed to recognise the state of Palestine. Now is the time to move ahead and do that. The Tánaiste's predecessor, the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, stated that recognition of the state of Palestine could only be done in tandem with a peace process. Unfortunately, I do not see that peace process coming about at any time in the near future. We need to do what we can do, namely, recognise the state of Palestine. Fianna Fáil needs to follow through on its commitment in respect of the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018. Will the Tánaiste move that legislation forward?
The Deputy is correct that the programme for Government states that the Government will honour its commitment to recognise the state of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict, or in advance of that, when we believe that doing so will progress efforts to reach a two-state solution or protect the integrity of Palestinian territory. We are working with like-minded states in the European Union on this issue. The objective is that any such decision would be taken at the optimal time to have the best impact. The context has always been to try to move towards a two-state solution and to get a proper negotiation process in place. It was interesting talking to Prime Minister Shtayyeh and the foreign minister, Mr. al-Maliki, of the Palestinian Authority last Monday. They are committed to the two-state solution. They do not want to abandon that. We must have that within our horizon in any moves or decisions we make and we must do it when it will have the most impact.
