Foreign Policy

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020

Thursday, 10 December 2020

Ceisteanna (285)

Catherine Connolly

Ceist:

285. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department has existing bilateral agreements or memorandums of understanding with the State of Israel; if such agreements are in preparation; if his Department has been consulted or made aware of such agreements by other Departments; if the illegal settlements, which are illegal under international law, in the Israeli Occupied Territories have been or will be excluded from such agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42569/20]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

There are a number of bilateral agreements between Ireland and Israel, including in the fields of visas, taxation and scientific research.

Ireland's position on settlement expansion and related infrastructure development is very clear. Settlements are illegal under international law. Ireland’s position on the illegality of Israeli settlements informs our engagement with the State of Israel across a range of bilateral issues and will continue to do so.

UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted on 23 December 2016, states that Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory have no legal validity and are a major obstacle for peace. The Resolution calls for an immediate end to settlement activities and also calls on all States to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967. In all these aspects, the Resolution reflected the position already held by Ireland and the UN for many years, and the EU position, to which Ireland has made a significant contribution. 

The legal basis for relations between the EU and the State of Israel is the EU-Israel Association Agreement that entered force in 2000. On 10 December 2012, the Foreign Affairs Council adopted conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process, supported by Ireland, which state that ‘all agreements between the State of Israel and the EU must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967. In 2013, guidelines were produced which differentiate between Israeli activities in the occupied territory, including illegal settlements, and in the State of Israel for the purpose of EU funding from 2014 onwards.

The participation of Israel in the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme is governed by a 2014 agreement between the EU and Israel that makes Israel subject to the relevant EU legislation establishing Horizon 2020 and its implementing rules. Article 6 of the agreement states that the agreement does not apply to the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.