Minister McEntee attends the Second Meeting of the Palestine Donor Group

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, today (13 July) attended the Second Meeting of the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels. The Group was established to bring together ministers and senior officials from regional and international partners to support the implementation of Palestinian reforms, helping strengthen its governance, improve its economic resilience, and advance Gaza's recovery.

The meeting took place at an important moment for Palestine, and for Ireland, at the outset of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Speaking after the meeting, Minister McEntee said: "This was a welcome opportunity to come together with a wide group of partners to discuss support for the Palestinian people. It is a clear priority of mine for Ireland's Presidency to reaffirm the EU's commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on the two-State solution, whichguarantees the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to self-determination and to live in peace and safety within secure borders. I will work with partners to ensure that the EU's focus on the dire humanitarian needs in Gaza and the deteriorating situation in the West Bank is maintained over the six months of Ireland's Presidency.

"The viability of the two-State solution relies on the political and economic stability of the West Bank. Israel's suffocation of the Palestinian economy, which has seen children only attending school on a part-time basis, a health system at risk of collapse, and unemployment sharply rising, continues to threaten that stability. There is strong consensus amongst EU and international partners that Israel must release tax clearance revenues withheld from the Palestinian Authority, and ensure that correspondent banking services remain in place between Israeli and Palestinian banks.

"In January, I announced that Ireland will provide €42 million in assistance to the people of Palestine in 2026, of which €29 million has now been disbursed. In May, Ireland made an additional payment of €3 million to the Palestinian Authority through the EU PEGASE mechanism for the continued provision of essential public service.

"I have been clear and consistent in saying that early recovery in Gaza is dependent on widespread humanitarian and aid access throughout the Strip. Israel must immediately remove restrictions on aid access and facilitate essential supplies and services to reach people across the Gaza Strip."

The Palestine Donor Group was established by the European Commission as a deliverable of the multiannual Comprehensive Support Programme worth up to €1.6 billion announced in April 2025, and following Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen's September 2025 State of the Union speech. Minister McEntee attended the inaugural meeting of the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels on 20 November 2025.