Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
189. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the engagements his Department, or any agency or body under his direction, has had with the Government of Israel, any state body of the Government of Israel, or any engagement within or with Israel, in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47802/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile my Department and the Defence Forces have had no engagement with the Government of Israel, or agencies of same, on any matters for years 2021-2023, I am advised that my Department and the Defence Forces have engaged with Israeli companies in relation to the procurement of defensive equipment, and maintenance and training on same during the years specified. In 2022, this engagement included Defence Force equipment training in Israel.
During this period, no equipment has been purchased directly from the State of Israel. However, in 2021 engineering (non-lethal) equipment was purchased from one company which is understood to be fully state owned.
The principle of competitive tendering for Government contracts is used by the Department of Defence for the acquisition of defensive equipment for the Defence Forces. This is an EU law requirement and in accordance with the Defence and Security Directive. Central to those procedures is the requirement to allow fair competition between suppliers through the submission of tenders following advertising of the tender competition on the e-tenders site and on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), where appropriate. Such tender competitions are open to any company or country, subject to the terms of all UN, OSCE and EU arms embargos or restrictions. There are no such restrictions or embargos in place on Israel or Israeli companies.
In addition it should also be noted that as part of an overall deployment of the 13 Irish Defence Forces officers serving with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) mission, three officers are based in UNTSO Headquarters in Jerusalem with a further officer based in Tiberias, Israel.
