Foreign Affairs | To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which Ireland has used its position on the United Nations Security Council to raise the situation of Palestinian residents in east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah and the ongoing violations of human rights by the Israeli authorities

To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which Ireland has used its position on the United Nations Security Council to raise the situation of Palestinian residents in east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah and the ongoing violations of human rights by the Israeli authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

I remain concerned by demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem, including in Sheikh Jarrah, where tensions remain high.

I am deeply troubled by the evictions and demolitions that took place in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood on 17-18 January of this year. Ireland’s Representative was present at the scene in Sheikh Jarrah on 17 January and the Ambassador in Tel Aviv communicated our concerns directly to the Israeli authorities.

Ireland has been proactive in ensuring that these issues are highlighted at the UN Security Council, raising Sheikh Jarrah in meetings of the Council in January, February and March of this year. Ireland has made it clear that demolitions and evictions undermine the prospects for peace and risk increasing violence, and called on Israel to cease these unilateral actions and comply with its obligations as an occupying power under international humanitarian law.

Ireland engages actively on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory at the UN and through support on the ground in working with civil society partners. 

At the most recent session of the Human Rights Council in March, Ireland reiterated our concern regarding the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. Ireland highlighted in particular the intensification of settler-related violence, the use of excessive force by Israeli Security Forces, and the shrinking space for civil society in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

Ireland also provides humanitarian assistance, legal and other supports to specific development projects to improve the situation of Palestinians. We fund a number of civil society partners that are active on human rights issues, which impact specifically on Palestinians in East Jerusalem, including in relation to evictions.