Crowe calls for the Government to recall its Ambassador to Israel

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Diaspora, Seán Crowe TD, has called on the Irish Government to recall its Ambassador to Israel in protest against the Israeli Government’s decision to construct thousands of new illegal settlement colonies in Palestine.

Deputy Crowe said today:

“I am calling on the Irish Government to recall Ireland’s Ambassador to Israel in protest against the Israeli Government’s decision to build 3,000 new settlement units in the occupied Palestinian territory.

“These new settlement colonies are illegal under international law and the decision of the Israeli Government to construct these units shows the Israeli Government is does not wish to conduct serious peace talks and achieve a two-state solution to the conflict.

“These new settlement colonies are due to be built in the highly contentious E1 area of the West Bank. The E1 area is the only geographical connection that remains between Jerusalem and the West Bank. Settlement building in this area threatens to cut off Palestinian access to East Jerusalem, removing the possibility of East Jerusalem becoming the capital of any future Palestinian State; and this possibility puts a two-state solution in real jeopardy.

“The decision to construct these settlement colonies now is a direct retaliation by the Israeli Government after Palestine won support from the UN General Assembly to upgrade its status in the UN to a non-member observer status. Israel needs to recognise that the vast majority of the international community support a two-state solution and it needs to begin inclusive and productive negotiations with elected Palestinian representatives immediately.

“I am calling on the Irish Government to recall the Ambassador to Israel in a diplomatic protest against this latest illegal Israeli action which threatens peace and security in the region. France, Britain, and Sweden have already summoned the Israeli Ambassadors in their countries as a protest and I feel the Irish Government should recall the Irish Ambassador to Israel in order to place the maximum amount of pressure on the Israeli Government to abandon its illegal settlement construction programme.”