Tánaiste Micheál Martin started the second day of his Middle East trip visiting a Palestinian school in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Welcomed by Palestinian acting education minister Mahmoud Mosa Abu Mouis, Martin toured the all-girls Beitunia vocational school, which offers vocational programmes in dressmaking and hairdressing, alongside academic courses.

Ireland provides capital funding which has helped construct roughly 100 schools in Palestine in the last decade.

Speaking to reporters, Martin described the school as a “very good example” of Ireland’s support to Palestine’s education system.

“We contribute about €16m a year through various sectors within Palestine,” he said. “In addition to our support for secondary vocational education, we also run a scholarship programme, where 10-12 students from Palestine come to Ireland every year to study.”

Thank you to the students of Beitunia Vocational School for Girls for the warm welcome to Palestine today.

An example of the impact that Ireland’s funding for education and skills is having within the community. pic.twitter.com/pJHjV2LwgS

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 6, 2023

Martin met a number of senior Israeli minisyers on Tuesday, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is due to meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas today.

“There are a range of issues that we will discuss with them in terms of the evolution of the peace process, their thoughts, their perspectives on developments in the region,” Martin said.

He  stressed that Ireland is “anxious” to build the relationship between Palestine and the Eruopean Union.

The Tánaiste also called on Hamas to cease violence, referencing the laying down of arms in the Northern Ireland as a key moment in the peace process.

“There’s also the strong sense of Iranian influence on that situation as well which is problematic. But I think fundamentally, we would call on Hamas to 100% go political and stop the use of violence,” he said.