Visit by Tánaiste Simon Coveney to Ramallah

Visit by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney T.D., to Ramallah

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney T.D., today visited Ramallah and met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al Malki, PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat and the head of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction, Mohammad Shtayyeh.

The Tánaiste said, “My third visit to Palestine and Israel in less than a year is a reaffirmation of Ireland’s, and my own personal, commitment to and support for the two-state solution, which I believe offers the only prospect for a peaceful and secure future for both Israel and Palestine.

I discussed with leading Palestinian political figures the challenges facing the Palestinian people, and the actions needed to end the occupation and achieve freedom and equality for all people in this land. In this context, I heard how Israeli settlement expansion is continuing to erode the rights of the Palestinian people, and reduce the possibility of establishing a contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State.”

ENDS

Press Office

07 June 2018