John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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832. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the specific action he or his Department has taken within the EU or at international level in the context of the commitment in the Programme for Government to forge alliances with other EU member states and to oppose any annexation of territory by force to create such alliances to oppose the maintenance and expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories; the results of these actions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20935/21]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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833. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether Israel’s continuous creation of illegal settlements in the Palestinian Territories and subsequent imposition of Israeli rule amounts to annexation of territory taken by force; the actions he plans to take to oppose such actions in view of the clear commitment in the Programme for Government to do so and in view of the urgency of the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20938/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 832 and 833 together.

The Programme for Government states that the Government will “continue to work with other Member States to give leadership within the EU to oppose any annexation or plans to apply Israeli sovereignty over territory in the West Bank, which is part of the occupied Palestinian territory. The Government would regard any such moves as a breach of international law and would consider an appropriate response to them at both national and international level.”

The Government position has not changed and I have been forthright in my public statements on the issue. The annexation by Israel of any part of the occupied Palestinian territory would be a clear violation of international law. It would have no legitimacy and could not be recognised or accepted by Ireland. Furthermore, it would be deeply damaging to the Two-State solution.

Ireland has been consistently vocal in its opposition to settlement expansion and annexation taking every opportunity to raise the issue in national and EU statements at the UN Human Rights Council. Last month Ireland raised the human rights impacts of Israeli settlement actions at the 46th session of the Council.

At the UN Security Council, Ireland has urged Israel to halt all continued settlement expansion, including in East Jerusalem and other sensitive areas. At the Security Council Quarterly debate on the Middle East in January, I underlined that continued settlement activity is not only illegal, but also erodes trust between Palestinians and Israelis.

I have engaged extensively with EU partners on the situation in the Middle East, with a view to encouraging strong EU messages, public and private, against settlements and annexation. EU Foreign Ministers met last year with the Israeli and Palestinian Foreign Ministers. The EU's position on the illegality of settlements has been consistently clear. I have also outlined my concerns about the threat of annexation and the growth of settlements in discussions with US representatives.

Ireland conveys our views on settlements to the Israeli authorities, both directly and through the EU. On 18 March I met the Israeli Ambassador and conveyed in the strongest terms my concerns on recent settlement announcements and associated infrastructure development. My officials work closely with the Office of the UN Special Coordinator on the Middle East and UN agencies on the ground to monitor and highlight these issues. Ireland’s Ambassador in Tel Aviv has raised the issue directly the Israeli authorities, and did so most recently on 19 April. Ireland's Representative Office in Ramallah has made a number of visits along with EU representatives to sensitive sites of concern in the West Bank.

I will continue to prioritise this issue, working closely with EU partners and countries in the region.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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834. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the appropriate response at national level to the continued expansion and maintenance of independent illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20937/21]

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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881. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has raised the matter of illegal settlements in occupied Palestine officially with his EU partners in view of the present situation of continual efforts by Israel to create illegal settlements in Occupied Palestine which the Israeli Prime Minister has clearly indicated his intention that they will be permanent. [20436/21]

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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882. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the immediate steps he plans to take at the UN Security Council to oppose the illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20437/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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898. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has studied the recent report by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs which documents the striking increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank; his views on whether this is part of a pattern primarily designed to take over land and to intimidate and terrorise Palestinians; his further views on whether it is creating an atmosphere of impunity and as the military are usually present it amounts to a discriminatory two-tier approach to military protection and policing in the West Bank other than condemning these activities; the actions he plans to take in defence of international law at EU and international level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20816/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 834, 881, 882 and 898 together.

Ireland's position on settlement expansion is absolutely clear. Settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory is clearly illegal under international law.

I am in regular contact with EU partners on the situation in the Middle East. EU Foreign Ministers met last year with the Israeli and Palestinian Foreign Ministers. The EU's position on the illegality of settlements has been consistently clear.

At the UN Security Council, Ireland has urged Israel to halt all continued settlement expansion, including in East Jerusalem and other sensitive areas. At the Security Council Quarterly debate on the Middle East in January, I underlined the need to speak for the Council to speak out clearly against violence and called for attacks against civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory to stop.

On 18 March I met the Israeli Ambassador and conveyed in the strongest terms my concerns on recent settlement announcements and associated infrastructure development. Ireland’s Ambassador in Tel Aviv has raised the issue directly the Israeli authorities, most recently on 19 April. Ireland's Representative Office in Ramallah has made a number of visits along with EU representatives to sensitive sites of concern.

Ireland is in close contact with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the ground, including in respect of its ongoing valuable reports on the protection of civilians. Last week, Ireland's Representative Office in Ramallah took part in a visit with OCHA which focused on the impact of settlements on Palestinian communities, including the impact of settler violence.

Ireland continues to call on the Israeli Government to halt all settlement construction. Our longstanding support for a Two State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains an integral aspect of our foreign policy, which I will continue to prioritise.