35. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for a report on the discussion on the West Bank at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 15 June 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50080/26]

I attended the most recent meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 15 June 2026 in Luxembourg, which included an exchange of views on the Situation in the Middle East.

As regards the West Bank, Ministers raised Israel’s withholding of tax clearance revenues from the Palestinian Authority (PA), and the upcoming meeting of the Palestinian Donor Group in Brussels on 13 July. There is a strong consensus at EU and international level that Israel must release revenues withheld from the PA. Political and economic security in the West Bank is central to its stability and to the security of the wider region, as well as being an essential component to the viability of the two-State solution.

We also discussed illegal Israeli settlements and extremist settler violence. Following the adoption of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers and leading Hamas figures in May, we discussed further policy options, including trade-related measures and new sanctions.

Together with a wide cross-section of other Member States, I specifically requested that the European Commission act on the issue of EU trade with Israeli settlements, to ensure compliance with international law. The Commission has now undertaken to bring forward a list of options for consideration at the next Foreign Affairs Council on 13 July, including measures aimed at prohibiting trade with Israeli settlements.

Ireland will continue to press for appropriate EU action in response to egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles in the occupied Palestinian territory. In addition to our advocacy for an EU ban on trade with Israeli settlements, I have repeatedly called for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, or at a minimum the suspension of the trade elements of the Agreement. Ireland has consistently supported consideration of additional sanctions, including proposals brought forward by the Commission President in September 2025 concerning extremist Israeli ministers, and believes that further measures are required.

In parallel, at a national level, the Government is progressing the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, 2026, which is currently before the Oireachtas for consideration.