IRELAND:TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has received a personal appeal from Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad to oppose any upgrading in the relationship between Israel and the European Union until there is a halt to the building of settlements on the West Bank.
Dr Fayyad's letter to the Taoiseach, which has been seen by The Irish Times, warns that settlement activity is putting a two-state solution under threat.
The normally low-profile Palestinian leader has written individually to all EU heads of government in advance of Monday's Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg where the issue of improved EU-Israeli relations is due to arise.
A Government spokesman in Dublin said: "Ireland is one of several countries which, while supportive of an enhanced EU relationship with Israel, believes this must be linked to progress in the peace process."
Ireland will be represented at the meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) by Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin. The EU "troika" of Slovenia, France and Portugal is to hold talks with Israeli representatives and the two sides are due to issue separate statements afterwards.
The EU is said to be split over whether to deepen the relationship with the Israelis who are understood to be keen on establishing new joint technical committees and holding regular high-level political meetings with the EU.
There was negative Israeli government reaction to Dr Fayyad's letter, dated May 27th. The Palestinian leader wrote in a similar vein to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which Israel is seeking to join.
As a response to Dr Fayyad's lobbying, Israel delayed the transfer of some of the tax revenue and customs levies used by the Palestinian Authority to pay civil servants and members of its security services.
Israeli finance minister Roni Bar-On said: "The letter was an expression of behaviour I would not expect in our relation with Palestinians."
An Israeli government spokes- man said prime minister Ehud Olmert "expressed concern" about the letter to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
In his letter to the Taoiseach, Dr Fayyad wrote: "I strongly urge you to decide against the upgrade of the EU's relations with Israel until such time as Israel abides by international and human rights laws, including by freezing all settlement activity, and allows the Palestinian people to enjoy the same neighbourly relations with the EU as other nations in the region."
Referring to the conference held in Annapolis, Maryland last November, Dr Fayyad told the Taoiseach: "Whatever credibility and hope the peace process may have enjoyed at Annapolis is fast fading, as is the viability of an agreed two-statesolution."