Page 112 of the programme for Government states that the Government will honour Ireland's commitment to recognise the state of Palestine. Last month, Israel issued tenders for 2,500 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, has condemned the decision to build new settlement units and said the Israeli Government is racing against time to eliminate any remaining possibility of a two-state solution. All Jewish settlements in the West Bank are regarded as illegal under international law and by much of the international community. When will the Government fulfil its promise to recognise the state of Palestine?

If I remember correctly, the programme for Government commits to recognising the state of Palestine as part of a two-state solution. We want to see a two-state solution, ensuring the security and longevity of the state of Israel and also allowing a state of Palestine to be established, with control over the West Bank and Gaza as well. That has not yet happened but it is a matter in which the Minister for Foreign Affairs has an enormous interest and we will be using our position on the UN Security Council this year and next year to try to advance a peace settlement in that region.