Irish bishops have questioned the legitimacy of the EU's trading agreement with Israel in light of what they called "human rights abuses" in the Occupied Territories.
The Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs (ICJSA) - a commission of the Irish bishops' conference - called for an end to the "humiliating treatment" of Palestinians at Israeli checkpoints and said the Gaza Strip was "little more than a large prison".
At the unveiling of its position paper Palestine/Israel, Principles for a Just Peacein Dublin today, the ICJSA complained that restriction of movement in the Occupied Territories was hampering Palestinian Christians from attending religious services while the livelihoods of Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip were being unfairly restricted.
The EU-Israel Association agreement was ratified in 2000 by EU member states to improve trade relations with the Jewish state and covers areas from political dialogue to the free movement of goods across borders.
Chairman of the ICJSA Bishop Raymond Field said while the commission welcomed co-operation between the EU and its neighbouring countries, "where there is evidence of systematic abuse of human rights on a large scale as in the Occupied Territories, there are questions that must be asked concerning the appropriateness of maintaining close business, cultural and commercial links with Israel".
Dr Field said: "At present it is extremely difficult for Palestinian Christians from East Jerusalem to pray at the Church of the Nativity or for Christians in Bethlehem to attend Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
"At this time, no Bethlehem resident is allowed to visit Jerusalem without special permission from the Israeli army. In effect, the communities of Bethlehem and East Jerusalem are forced to live divided by a 25-foot wall that surrounds Bethlehem on three side," Dr Field said.