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As a member of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs I attended the presentations by the Israeli Ambassador and the Palestinian Authority representative, which did not provide much hope. I support the motion. The reason I am not supporting the Fine Gael amendment is that its scope is limited to the current crisis in Gaza, although I hope the reports of the UN rapporteur will explore all breaches of human rights in the West Bank and Gaza by the Israelis over recent years. The other reason is that I do not want the EU to be policing itself on this issue. I would have far more faith in a UN report than in an EU report about its own trade agreements because it has not bothered so far to invoke the human rights clause in the trade agreement.

This action is similar to the case of South Africa when the world decided to use its muscle with regard to trade and eventually succeeded, although it was a slow process. It will not bring immediate action by the Israelis but unless the EU stands up for the human rights of the Palestinians, whether in the West Bank or Gaza, no one else will do it. We cannot rely on others to do it. This motion is only asking the EU to investigate human rights breaches, which is part of its own trade agreement with the Israelis. We are not asking it to do anything extraordinary here. We are just asking for it to do its job, which it is not willing to do.

We discussed this at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and I hope it will go further. It is a small step. Produce is being grown in the occupied West Bank where there are 240,000 illegal settlers. The UN has passed motion after motion and resolution after resolution about the occupied territories. During the presidency of Ronald Reagan there were 30,000 illegal settlers and there are now 240,000. As we are well aware, plantations have long-term consequences. At some future date I hope Ireland will instigate a ban on the importation of food from the occupied territories.

I support the motion. We must be seen to do this. It will not have immediate effect but there is very little that would. The Israelis are not listening to anyone because they have sufficient military might. No one in the region has the ability or the will to stand up to them. Trade sanctions worked for South Africa and they will work here if the EU does its job. The question is whether the EU will do its job. I have my doubts. We can only do what we can, and I suggest we do it.