Cowen to meet Israeli counterpart

Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen is due to meet his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalom, in Dublin this morning.

The two men are expected to discuss Israeli-EU relations and the stalled Middle East peace process.

Amnesty International has also called on Mr Cowen to raise a number of issues with Mr Shalom.

These include the ongoing killings of Palestinians by the Israeli army, the demolition of Palestinian homes and the construction of a controversial Israeli “security barrier” on Palestinian territory in the West Bank.