Tánaiste criticises Israeli settlement activity during Middle East peace visit

Israeli actions in the West Bank and Gaza have “no clear justification”, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin told Israeli politicians on Tuesday night.

The Tánaiste is on a three-day visit to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan as part of an effort to reinvigorate negotiations towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

On Tuesday, Mr Martin met Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and outlined Ireland’s opposition to the construction of illegal Jewish settlements on Palestinian land and violence carried out by settlers.

Mr Martin said he had a frank and open discussion with Mr Netanyahu where he laid out Ireland’s position on “illegal settlements and irregular expansion” into the West Bank.

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Mr Netanyahu laid out Israel’s security concerns and “its right to exist.” The prime minister noted Ireland’s positions at the UN and the International Court of Justice which have been often highly critical of Israel actions, Mr Martin said.

A statement from the Israeli government said Mr Martin and Mr Netanyahu discussed “security challenges facing Israel.

“Prime minister Netanyahu emphasised the need for a balanced approach toward the conflict with the Palestinians, including in international forums such as the UN.”

On the prospect of making progress towards a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine matter, Mr Martin was pessimistic. The current Israeli government is widely viewed as uninterested in devolving significant powers to Palestine.

“I have to say from the various conversations I had today I don’t see any immediate signs of a change in direction. Security is a dominant issue. It’s the main driver of political policy at the moment,” he said.

Ongoing Israeli settlements are resulting in “significant difficulties for the viability of the two-state solution”, he said.

Ireland’s programme for government commits it to recognise the state of Palestine as part of the two-state solution. Mr Martin said Ireland must assess the impact of such a declaration and that it was desirable to do so only as part of a “critical mass” of other EU countries.

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“I think it’s far better right now that we engage in dialogue with all parties involved in this to see what are the pathways forward.”

In a speech at the Israeli Council on Foreign Relations on Tuesday night, Mr Martin repeated criticisms of Israeli policy, saying there “are five million ordinary Palestinian people, across the West Bank and Gaza, who share the aspiration to live their lives in peace and security, and who have a right to self-determination.

“Just this February, the UN Security Council reiterated its strong opposition to Israeli construction and expansion of settlements, the confiscation of Palestinians’ land, the demolition of Palestinians’ homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians.

“These policies and actions, in addition to contravening international law, have no clear justification in terms of protecting the security of Israel.”

Mr Martin also expressed concern about plans by the Israeli government to lessen the independence of the supreme court, an issue which has triggered widespread protests in the country in recent months.

He said he had a “stimulating discussion” with Israeli minister Ron Dermer on the separation of powers, a concept which he said is “cherished” by Ireland.

He also said he disagreed with reported plans by Hungary to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “We would not support that. You think that just compounds the ongoing problems there in advance of any solution,” the Tánaiste said.

Hungary’s move follows the 2017 decision by former US president Donald Trump to move the US embassy to the city, a move which was viewed as deeply antagonistic to Palestine which also views Jerusalem as its capital.