Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs
The issue of Palestine is regularly on the agenda of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs, which has members from both houses of the Oireachtas, Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. The following lists recent sessions of the Committee which have considered the issue and provides links to where the proceedings can be found on the official Oireachtas website
13 April 2010
Middle East Peace Process: Discussion with Former Israeli Ambassador
Former Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Dore Gold, appeared before the Committee. He gave four reasons, none of them down to Israel, why there had been no progress in negotiations with Palestinians:
- There was more than a territorial dispute at stake between Israel and Palestinians – the latter, or at least some of them, wanted to destroy Israel, as demonstrated by the rocket firing out of Gaza after Israel withdrew
- Regional states had refused to help build confidence by, for example, allowing over flights by Israeli aircraft. Only Israel had been asked to make confidence building gestures, for example, by freezing settlement building.
- The EU had taken away the Palestinians’ incentive for making deal with Israel, by suggesting that a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders should be recognised internationally.
- Palestinians refuse to recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
Questions/comments from committee members included:
Billy Timmins (Fine Gael):
“I would like to ask a few questions. In Mr. Gold’s view, what would be an acceptable solution? Would it be a two-state solution? If so, would Gaza and the West Bank be interconnected? What form would this interconnection take? Does he envisage the deconstruction of any of the settlements constructed in recent years? What is his view on the possibility of Jerusalem being a shared capital city? These issues are ultimately preventing peace. While we can talk about direct negotiations, there will be no solution until there is some agreement on what constitutes an acceptable solution. …
“I have always condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas and other groups based in Gaza. They are unacceptable. There needs to be a recognition that the people of Israel should be allowed to exist in a peaceful state. During Operation Cast Lead I listened to commentary to the effect that it was aimed at terrorists. When I visited the area, I noticed that industrial zones had been flattened in the last few days of the campaign, when the objectives of the operation should have been achieved. My abiding memory is of seeing the international school bombed to the ground. What purpose did it serve, in the context of the fight against terrorism, to bomb the Gaza industrial zone and the international school?”
Chris Andrews (Fianna Fail)
Egypt is in a very difficult position on the Gaza issue. Is there a belief that the hierarchy in Israel would like to see Egypt take control of the Gaza Strip? I imagine it would be a significant relief to Israel and it would solve many issues around connecting the West Bank and Gaza. We heard that a tunnel was previously proposed. Egypt must be in a very difficult position because it has strong associations with the community in Gaza. It looks as if the country is being manipulated into taking charge of the Gaza Strip, so is that something Israel would like to see or is trying to bring about by whatever means it can employ?
Full text here
18 November 2009
Report on UN Fact-Finding Mission on Gaza Conflict: Discussion
Colonel Desmond Travers, a member of the UN fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict, undertaken under the chairmanship of Justice Richard Goldstone, gave evidence to the Committee.
Full text here
October 2009
A joint delegation from the Committee and the European Affairs Committee visited Israel/Palestine from 20 to 24 July 2009. A report of the visit published in October 2009 is here.
8 October 2009, Report on UN Fact-Finding Mission on Gaza Conflict: Discussion
Colonel Desmond Travers, a member of the UN fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict, undertaken under the chairmanship of Justice Richard Goldstone, gave evidence to the Committee.
Full text here
26 March 2009, Situation in Gaza: Discussion with UNRWA
Mr. John Ging, director of operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, in Gaza appeared before the Committee.
Full text here
26 March 2009, Situation in Gaza: Discussion with UNRWA
Mr. John Ging, director of operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, in Gaza appeared before the Committee.
Full text here
26 March 2009, Situation in Gaza: Discussion with IPSC
Marie Crawley, David Morrison and Philip O’Connor of the IPSC gave evidence to the Committee. They were accompanied by Professor Ilan Pappe, Israeli academic, who is chair of the department of history, University of Exeter.
Full text here
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