A number of weeks ago, six human rights organisations were designated as terrorist organisations by the State of Israel. A number of these organisations receive funding from Irish Aid. The allegations made against them are extremely serious and are designed to smear anybody who stands against Israel's continued brutal occupation of Palestine. Israel will continue to do this with impunity and will give the Minister and his EU counterparts the complete runaround regarding its crimes. If that is the case, as we have said many times why it does this country and the European Union continue to treat Israel like a normal state? It is not a normal state. It is an abnormal state. It continues to brutalise NGOs that stand for human rights, and it is also continuing with its brutal occupation of Palestine.

As the Deputy probably knows, I have probably been more vocal on this issue than any other foreign minister on the planet. I was in the Middle East last week. I visited Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Jordan. I appeared on international and national media to voice my concern about the fact that the six Palestinian NGOs were effectively designated as terrorist organisations. I have not seen any evidence to give that designation any credibility. We provide modest funding to two of the six organisations concerned, Al-Haq and Addameer, both of which are active in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. One works with prisoners and the other on advocacy and taking legal cases. We met representatives from both organisations while in Ramallah. My senior officials met them in order to provide as much reassurance as we could to them from our perspective. I have been clear and vocal on this issue. We have asked for evidence from the Israeli Government and I certainly have not seen it.