Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 November 2023
179. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs what sanctions he is willing to impose on Israel in order to increase international political pressure on it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49935/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhat sanctions is the State going to look at imposing in order to increase international political pressure on Israel? This is a continuation of the questions that I have asked about what we can achieve at a European level. If we cannot do it at a complete EU level, can we at least do it among those other states, like Belgium, that look at the issue in Gaza more from our perspective, rather than encounter the difficulties the Tánaiste referred to in the context of Germany? He spoke about a structured relationship that may be possible with Palestine, but there needs to be some means of holding Israel to account for its crimes.
We do not do sanctions on our own. We do sanctions with the European Union and United Nations. We pursue those sanctions. At UN Security Council level, we secured an important clause to ensure that, in any sanction regimes, there would be a provision for humanitarian corridors in situations of dire humanitarian need. Our best role in the European Union is to bring about influence on the collective EU position, which has been effective. In earlier replies, I addressed the basic principles that people feel should govern any post-war situation in Gaza. They include no depopulation of Gaza, a Palestinian authority in charge of administering services in Gaza, and ensuring the reconstruction of Gaza, which Europe will probably be one of the biggest contributors to, for the fourth time. It now looks like countries external to the Middle East will be rebuilding Gaza. It is a horrific situation but that is where we find ourselves. Europe has quadrupled its humanitarian aid to Gaza to the tune of €100 million.
