Ireland donates €200,000 to West Bank humanitarian aid

Ireland is giving €200,000 to the disputed West Bank territory in the Middle East.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has made the announcement as his visit to the region draws to a close.

The funding will be provided to the West Bank Protection Consortium which works with Palestinian communities.

Minister Coveney said the money underlines our commitment to supporting the vulnerable people of the area.

On Tuesday, Minister Coveney met with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who criticised Ireland's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his dissatisfaction over Ireland's traditional stance and told the Foreign Minister that his country does not condemn Palestinians for incitement and for glorifying those who commit terrorist attacks," said the Prime Minister in a Facebook post.

Minister Coveney was questioned as to "why Ireland helps NGOs that call for the destruction of Israel" and Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he felt many European countries are overlooking the core problem of the conflict – the Palestinian refusal to recognize the state of the Jews.