Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-07
============================================================

Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

In relation to what is happening in Gaza and specifically the West Bank, I am as appalled as the Deputy is. I think everyone in this House is equally appalled. We have what is supposed to be a ceasefire. Having visited the region and having been to Rafah only at the beginning of the year, it is clear to me that the terms of the ceasefire are not being adhered to in many instances. It is clear that what is happening in the West Bank is only escalating further. The level of settler violence is increasing. The level of destruction of homes and communities is increasing. It is for that reason that Ireland has acted throughout all of this conflict - we have led in many instances - to try to provide support to, first and foremost, bring the conflict to an end, but also to provide humanitarian aid where needed and make sure those responsible are held accountable.
We led efforts at a European level to recognise Palestine. We were one of the first countries to do so. We also have had a focus on the association agreement. Only last week at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, I wrote directly to the Chair of the Council, along with my Slovenian and Spanish colleagues, asking for the suspension or partial suspension of the association agreement between the EU and Israel to be up for discussion or on the agenda when it comes to goods. I also asked for us to focus on sanctions when it comes to settler violence in the region. For the first time in a long time, we are now starting to see movement in this regard. We are starting to see countries that had not supported any kind of progress in this regard moving.
I also know that Palestine needs our continued support and funding. When I was in the region in January, I announced further funding, which brings the aid and support we are providing to the region to about €144 million. It is unfair for anyone to say that Ireland is not front and centre in providing support, leading, bringing about change and working with colleagues where we can.
When it comes to the occupied territories Bill, I came into this Department in November. At that point, the Tánaiste, who held this Ministry before me, had worked with the committee and its ask for services to be included in the Bill that had been presented previously. That work has been done. I received advice from the Attorney General before Christmas, as is the case with any legislation, particularly where when there are complex elements in it. I asked further questions and that advice has come back to me. Of course, I will now make a decision in terms of the timelines and how we progress with this.
What I would like to see happen is what we have seen in the past where countries have worked together and made progress on issues, such as recognising Palestine, working on the association agreement, providing aid and calling out issues where they emerged. Where we have worked together, we have made a greater impact and seen greater progress. I have been engaging with colleagues across those other countries where similar legislation has been introduced or is progressing to see what progress we can make. My objective and that of the Government is to make sure that this war comes to an end, that we stop people being murdered and killed and that we support those innocent civilians. We must ensure the two-state solution, which has always been this country’s focus and priority, remains a viable objective. The longer the violence in the West Bank continues, that becomes less and less viable. That is why we are taking the actions we are taking. That is why we are still committed to progressing the legislation.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-07/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-07