18 Sep 2012, 15:22
The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade will discuss the situation in Israel and Palestine and the Middle East peace process with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel at its meeting tomorrow, 19th September.
Committee Chairman, Pat Breen TD said: “We are looking forward to engaging with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel on a number of key issues in relation to the situation in Israel and Palestine.
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, an international organisation, is co-ordinated by the World Council of Churches. It brings internationals to the West Bank where Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) provide protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitor and report human rights abuses and support Palestinians and Israelis working together for peace. When they return home, EAs campaign for a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Many members of the Oireachtas and the Irish public continue to take a keen interest in the Middle East Peace Process, and this committee has engaged with the situation in Israel and Palestine on a regular basis. Therefore, the Committee welcomes this opportunity to discuss many perspectives on the region with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, in particular the current prospects for positive developments on the ground that would facilitate progress towards a just and sustainable peace in the region.
Meetings like this provide a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and can only add to efforts to bring peace to the region.”
This meeting will start in Committee Room 1, Leinster House at 2.30pm on Wednesday, 19th September.
Committee proceedings can be followed live at:
For further information please contact:
Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551
Committee Membership
Pat Breen, TD (Chairman)
Eric Byrne, TD
Olivia Mitchell, TD
Bernard J Durkan, TD
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, TD
Gerald Nash, TD
Dan Neville, TD
Maureen O’Sullivan, TD
Brendan Smith, TD
Senators
Deirdre Clune,
Mark Daly,
Lorraine Higgins,
Michael Mullins,
David Norris,
Jim Walsh.