I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Clearance to exit Gaza is decided by the relevant local authorities, essentially the Israeli and Egyptian authorities that facilitate and process it. These authorities have made it clear to all countries with citizens in Gaza that the focus for facilitating departures from Gaza is on foreign and dual nationals and immediate dependants accompanying them. In line with its consular assistance charter, the remit of my Department is to provide consular assistance to Irish citize…

I pay tribute to the embassy in Tel Aviv and our ambassadors in Israel, Egypt and Ramallah and the teams that work with them for the efforts they have made in challenging circumstances, and to the headquarters team in Dublin that co-ordinates all our efforts to get civilians out. They are in contact at least once a day with Irish citizens who wish to depart. The Department has facilitated the issuing of emergency travel documents to assist departures and engages with the Department of Justice on visas to support de…

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. Ireland remains committed to advancing a peaceful and secure future for Palestinians and Israelis based on a two-state solution in line with the agreed parameters and international law. Our central focus right now is on a durable humanitarian ceasefire. The international community must bring all of our collective weight to bear to secure that outcome. We must also redouble our commitment to protect civilian lives and uphold international law. The international community…

There is, and we are doing it. Israel did not attend the meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean Regional Forum, which is composed of EU member states and regional partners. The sole topic of discussion was the Middle East and the war in Gaza. With like-minded EU member states, we are pushing hard to get a credible pathway to peace, one that involves a two-state solution. That is our focus. We are working with other member states to advance this and to keep the pressure on at international level. It is fair to s…

We are. It is the entire focus of our diplomatic endeavours. In my work and the work of the Taoiseach and the rest of the Government, we have tried in the first instance to work with other EU member states to push towards a permanent cessation of the war. It cannot be said often enough how savage the Hamas atrocity at the outset of this war was. It had an impact on the Israeli psyche and public opinion within Israel, with a sense of insecurity as a result of the attack, which killed 1,400 civilians – children, wome…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 151, 152, 195 and 238 together. Ensuring the safe exit from Gaza of all Irish citizens who wish to leave, and their accompanying dependants, has been a priority of the Government and my Department since the outbreak of the current crisis. For the past seven weeks, officials at Ireland's embassies in Cairo and Tel Aviv, our representative office in Ramallah and our consulate directorate in Ireland have been in daily contact with Irish citizens in Gaza to provide them with consular as…

I thank the Deputies for their comments. I will certainly convey their compliments to the ambassadors in Tel Aviv, Cairo and Ramallah, who are still working hard and have worked very hard, and also to our team in headquarters, who co-ordinated it all and have maintained almost daily contact with our citizens. As I said earlier regarding the release of Emily Hand as a hostage, I think it is a story that has been personal for all of us. We heard from Tom about the trauma she has suffered. As I said earlier, the indiv…

In response to Deputy Haughey, we are very much working with other like-minded European Union member states to push for a roadmap to a two-state solution. We can never again allow this to happen and we can never again go back to a situation where, essentially, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is put on the backburner. There has to be very proactive international diplomatic and political effort and pressure on all sides to get to a resolution of this. With regard to other comments that have been made, that means the…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 153, 156, 157, 178, 184 and 215 together. I thank the Deputy for raising the question. I have been engaging intensively with EU, regional and international partners since the beginning of this crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. During all of these engagements, I have conveyed the same message: there is an urgent need for a sustainable humanitarian ceasefire and a significant scale-up of humanitarian access and supplies into Gaza. Immediately following the attac…

I thank the Deputies for their kind comments and appreciate their supportive comments. In response to Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan, EU member states are supportive of a two-state solution. The issue is how we follow through on it and give heft and a sense of urgency to bringing it about. Part of that will be pressure on the Israeli Government to move on what is happening in the West Bank. It was very clear from my visit there before this conflict erupted when I went to Jordan and spoke to refugees and spoke to a Bedou…

I agree with Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan it was regrettable that Israel was not present at the Union for Mediterranean regional forum last Monday. I picked up a determined approach from the Arab states that were available and other states in terms of the need for a credible pathway to peace. Egypt and Jordan's foreign ministers in particular have been active on this and put a lot of effort into a rational analysis of what is transpiring. For them, the principles are clear. There can be no displacement of Palestinians…

Yes. I have said that repeatedly. That is a European Union position. There cannot be displacement of Palestinians. There cannot be reoccupation of Gaza by Israel. Europe agrees with that principle. The High Representative, Mr. Borrell, has made that point, but we believe there should be a Palestinian Authority in Gaza delivering services to Gazans, from medical health to education. That should be led by Palestinians. For obvious reasons in terms of what has transpired, Europe does not agree that it should be a Hama…

The Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Kyiv was a crucial moment in this war and was a resolute demonstration that the future of Ukraine lies within the EU. This was the first Foreign Affairs Council to take place in such conditions, which reflects the special circumstances we are facing. Russia is showing no signs of relenting in its pursuit of a war of aggression against a sovereign UN member state on the borders of the European Union. Russia is testing our resolve and it is important that we maintain our pu…

We have witnessed very good progress on the EU issue and the membership application by Ukraine to join the European Union. Ukraine has made significant progress in fulfilling the key recommendations set out for it. In June 2022 candidate status was granted to Ukraine on the understanding that it would undertake reforms. On 8 November 2023, the European Commission published its annual enlargement package report which featured Ukraine for the first time. The Commission has recommended opening accession negotiations w…

First, to speak to Deputy Devlin, I condemn the use of cluster bombs. It is reprehensible and cluster munitions are shocking. They have terrible impacts on children and on families after the war. Ireland will help in any way we can to de-mine the battlefield. Deputy Griffin also made a very important point to maintain momentum in this war. This is a horrible war. Some 7 million Ukrainians have been displaced within Ukraine alone and it is similarly the case for millions more across Europe, as we know in this countr…

First, a trilateral memorandum of understanding with Israel and Egypt on co-operation relating to trade, transport and the export of natural gas to the European Union was signed by the European Commission on 15 June 2022. Ireland supports the agreement, which is a timely initiative that will strengthen energy security across the European Union. The legal framework for the EU-Israel partnership is provided by the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which has been in force since 2000. Similarly, the foundation of the EU…

Yes.

For clarity, UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted on 23 December 2016, calls on all states to distinguish in their relevant dealings between the territory of the state of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967. This resolution reflects the position already held by Ireland, the European Union and the UN for many years. Ireland regrets that the main text of the agreement does not include a territorial clause despite the fact that the negotiating mandate from the Council clearly stated that a territori…

I take the Deputy's point. There is a genuine view in Germany in respect of its relationship with Israel that I would say transcends economic issues and is rooted in the historic position of the Holocaust and Germany's role in the Holocaust. Many current leaders, and, indeed, those before, including Chancellors Merkel and Scholz, from different ends of the political spectrum, would be clear about protecting what they perceive, correctly in my view, the exceptionality of the Holocaust. It influences their thinking a…

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 gov…