The last several days have seen very disturbing developments in the Middle East. There has been appalling loss of life, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has sharpened and the hopes of restarting the peace process have suffered a major setback just at the moment when the promising initiative taken by US Secretary of State Colin Powell was getting under way. Suicide attacks killed around 30 Israeli civilians at the beginning of December. The Government has utterly condemned these dreadful attacks on innocent civilians. No cause can justify such atrocities and mass murder will not advance any cause. The Government has repeatedly emphasised its abhorrence at the killing and wounding of innocent civilians, Palestinians and Israelis.
Unhappily, another brutal and horrific attack was carried out last night by Palestinian terrorists in which ten Israelis were shot dead. This is another slaughter of the innocent. It is totally unwarranted and marks a further very serious step towards chaos. However, this must be a time for cool heads to rule. The use of force, even in self-defence, must be measured. The gunmen and the bombers must not be allowed to take control of events. Once again, it is evident that political paralysis is the breeding ground for extreme violence.
We have repeatedly said that the only way to end this dreadful conflict is to resume the peace process. There is no military solution and to rely on force is to give in to despair. Neither the terrorist attacks nor the Israeli response have achieved their objectives. Violence has not brought greater freedom for the Palestinian people. The response has not brought greater security for the Israeli people. In both cases, the result has been the opposite of what was intended. Israelis and Palestinians must resume the search for peace. Agreement, if it is to come and if it is to last, must necessarily recognise both Israel's right to live in peace and security and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
I issued two statements last week. In the first I expressed the Government's horror at the killing of Israeli civilians and I extended sympathy to the injured and the bereaved, to the Government of Israel, and to all who suffered in these atrocities. I urged the Israeli Government to persist in the path of peace. I said that, while it was essential that those directly responsible should be brought to justice, it would serve only the cause of those who are opposed to peace to go beyond this legitimate requirement.
I voiced the hope that the Israeli Government, even in this hour of great tragedy, would continue working to find a way to move forward and to bring an end to this conflict which had taken such a toll on human life. I also stressed the urgent need for the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to move quickly to renew security co-operation with the aim of ending the cycle of violence and to take all necessary steps to resume negotiations leading to a just, comprehensive and lasting solution. The statement also called upon the Palestinian Authority to do everything in its power to arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these awful acts and to prevent the repetition of such acts. Finally, I expressed the Government's grave concern at the Israeli helicopter attacks in the vicinity of President Arafat's headquarters. I called on Israel to desist from such attacks and to exercise the greatest restraint and prudence so as not to risk a further escalation of the conflict with unpredictable consequences.
In a second statement. I expressed my deep concern and disappointment at the extent and severity of the Israeli retaliation against the Palestinian Authority. We do not agree with the Israeli description of the Palestinian Authority as an entity that supports terrorism. We do not see what other partner Israel can have in fighting the terrorists nor do we see how destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority and attacking its police stations and security forces can possibly help the Palestinian Authority to deal with the men of violence, as demanded by Israel. At the same time, these Israeli attacks, along with the continuing incursions into Palestinian territory, closure of Palestinian towns and settlement building undermine the domestic political support which President Arafat needs if he is to combat terrorism effectively. I wrote two letters to Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres extending the Government's sympathy and conveying our views on the situation. I also spoke to Shimon Peres on the telephone last Saturday and again person on Monday in Brussels both at the General Affairs Council and in a separate bilateral meeting.
I also addressed the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs on this matter on 4 December. Following its discussion, the select committee adopted a resolution deploring the escalating violence in the Middle East. The resolution also called on the Government to do all in its power to press for a resumption of peace talks directly, through the EU and the UN, and with other players. I am happy to assure the select committee that I am taking every opportunity to do so.
The Middle East was one of the major topics discussed at the General Affairs Council. A statement was issued after the meeting which said that only determined and concerted action by the European Union, the United Nations, the United States and Russia could help the parties break the cycle of violence and re-engage on the path to peace. The statement went on to state that this requires:
the re-affirmation and full recognition of Israel's irrevocable right to live in peace and security within internationally recognised borders, and the establishment of a viable and democratic Palestinian state and an end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories.
As a first step, the following commitments would have to be given by the Palestinian Authority: the dismantling of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist networks, including the arrest and prosecution of all suspects and a public appeal in Arabic for an end to the armed intifada. The Israeli Government commitments involve the withdrawal of its military forces and a stop to extra-judicial executions, the lifting of closures and of all restrictions imposed on the Palestinian people and a freeze on settlements.
On the basis of this EU position and in light of the discussions the Council had on the same day in Brussels with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and with the Palestinian Minister for International Co-operation Nabil Shaath, the Council mandated Javier Solana, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, to return to the Middle East and to report back to the Laeken European Council tomorrow. The aim is to help bring about a speedy resumption of negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, without preliminaries.
The EU statement places an onus on both sides and they must act in tandem. Ireland sees President Arafat as the indispensable partner for dialogue. He alone has the stature among Palestinians to end violence and to negotiate a lasting peace with Israel. The alternative to President Arafat would be worse – either Hamas or a vacuum. No other Palestinian Authority leader has any possibility of winning popular support for a peace process. We agree that the Palestinian Authority should do more to bring the men of violence under control, but we recognise this is much easier said than done. President Arafat should not be faced with impossible demands, nor should he be made to feel isolated. It is neither realistic nor safe to expect President Arafat to go beyond a certain point without corresponding steps by the Israeli Government. Reliance simply on military coercion will not work in the longer term and, on the contrary, it makes President Arafat's task impossible.
It is for both sides to calm the situation and to de-escalate the conflict. The Palestinian Authority must demonstrate its commitment to facing down the men of violence. It must arrest those responsible for terrorist acts and keep them in custody. The sustained attacks by Israel on the PA, its security forces and its facilities are misguided and will have the opposite effect to the one intended. Furthermore, Israel's insistence on a seven day total ceasefire before implementing the Mitchell recommendations, or even discussing the political dimension with the Palestinians, is unrealistic and makes it practically impossible for President Arafat to carry out Israeli demands.
Ireland is strongly in favour of a return to the negotiating table and we will do all we can, together with the other member states of the European Union to support a renewed peace process.
We would also support constructive action in the United Nations Security Council. The usual practice in the Security Council is that initiatives on the question of Palestine are proposed by the non-aligned movement members. I understand the NAM held discussions in New York, but decided not to propose action in the Security Council at present. During Ireland's presidency of the Council in October, there was consideration of the Palestinian question and Ireland was authorised to make a statement to the press on 25 October. Further action was not possible in October due to the divergent views among Security Council members.
The situation in the Middle East as it stands is very discouraging. There is a solution, however, and it is a political one. The path to peace is clear. What is needed is the political will. I call on both sides, Israeli and Palestinian, to take the steps which they know are necessary. These steps are set out in the Mitchell report. The Government has warmly welcomed this report and fully endorsed its recommendations. These recommendations must be taken in their entirety, as there is no room for either side to select those measures which appeal to it and to avoid those which carry a cost. Furthermore, the measures have to be implemented within a close timeframe. They cannot be separated out in a phased sequence which moves forward one step at a time, with the implementation of each measure conditional upon completing other measures. The measures are mutually reinforcing and must be implemented as a package.
I call on the Palestinian Authority to act firmly to stop all acts of violence and in particular to do all in its power to prevent the murderous and senseless suicide attacks. I call on the Israeli Government to cease its present military action against the Palestinian Authority and to set about rebuilding security and political partnership with the Palestinian Authority. These are the steps which both sides must take if there is to be any hope of escaping from this terrible conflict.