Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-15
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I would say that we are showing leadership through this legislation. I appreciate we will debate the view that we are not going far enough, but this is against the view of much of our friends in the EU. We are going further here. I fully accept what the Senator is saying. There is obviously a huge concern in the fact that there is an ambition now that 70% of Gaza would be occupied and the Israeli Government has said that very clearly, even though the second stage of the peace agreement is that it would start to withdraw as Hamas starts to disarm and that there would be a rebuilding. The Senator is right. That was the discussion we had in the donor group the other evening. It is very difficult to talk about rebuilding when people are focused on surviving. The main tenor of my discussion with the Prime Minister that evening was how we make sure we support people in the here and now so that they can quite literally survive, and then look beyond rebuilding. We cannot rebuild if 70% of Gaza is occupied by the IDF. There is still a way to go before we concede that this is not going to change.
I cannot, and I do not think we should, concede that this is where they are and they are there to stay. That is absolutely unacceptable and completely contrary to international law. However, at the moment we have had no movement. We have to continue to advocate for the peace process to move on to stage two where we start to see a withdrawal from Gaza and an ability for more aid to get in. From a rebuilding perspective we need to focus on more humanitarian aid getting in because there is not enough. That is the plan. That is what has been agreed. We can all see that the attention is somewhat elsewhere at the moment. We absolutely need an agreement in Iran. We know the conflict and the impact that is having on the wider region. The more there is a focus on Iran and on Ukraine, the less ability we have to move forward the second stage of the peace plan, which is essential if we are going to ensure the Israel Defense Forces pull back from Gaza and that there is an opportunity for people on the ground to rebuild their lives.
I fully agree with the Senator and this is something that will be constantly kept under review and monitored. This will be an agenda point for every single meeting we have during the European Presidency, and even in between our meetings. We need to make sure every single effort is made to progress the peace plan. It might be imperfect. It is wholly imperfect. It is not operating as it should, even at the first stage, but it is has to be something we can work towards and try to achieve because at the moment there is nothing else there for us to be able to progress. It is wholly imperfect but we have to make sure that that in itself, coupled with what we are doing here, makes progress. If we make no progress on the West Bank, the overall objective of that two-state solution and self-determination is gone. This is also where we have to focus, as well as making sure the next stage of the peace process can be progressed. It is difficult at the moment. I was at the meeting, as was said, when Jared Kushner spoke. Whether we agree or disagree with what was said, there were a lot more people in the room who were of the same mind and the same vein as us in terms of what we want to achieve. What I took from that meeting is that the vast majority of countries from around the world have the very same views as us and that is why we are focused on what we were focused on in that meeting in particular, which is supporting people immediately.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:16+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-15