Write a comment
News that Ireland along with Norway and Spain have announced that they will recognise the State of Palestine. This will formally take place on Tuesday 28 May.
Speaking about the move Tánaiste Micheal Martin said "It is a clear and immutable statement of our deeply-held belief that there can be no peace in the Middle East until the Israeli and Palestinian peoples alike enjoy the same rights to self-determination, statehood, peace, security and dignity.
"The principle of equality is the foundation for justice, for peaceful co-existence, and for a better future.
And that is why today, with this principle under concerted attack across the Middle East, that we have taken this step."
Newry City Councillor Cathal King described the announcement, ten years after the adoption of a Sinn Féin Dáil motion to that effect, as a historic moment for Ireland and Palestine.
Cllr King said “The announcement that Ireland will formally recognise Palestine next Tuesday is a historic moment for both Ireland and Palestine.
I commend all those who have campaigned for this moment, all those who marched, who petitioned, who have stood up for international law, and for the reality that the only route to a lasting peace in the middle east lies with a free, independent and sovereign Palestinian state”.
Cllr King concluded "The Palestinian state has long endured oppression, occupation and apartheid. Today the people of Gaza face a relentless genocide.
"Israel must be held to account and meaningfully sanctioned for the ongoing gross violations of international law in Gaza and across Palestine”.
Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty also welcomed the formal recognition by the Irish Government.
“I welcome and strongly endorse the decision of the Irish Government to recognise the state of Palestine. Following an important vote by the United Nations General Assembly earlier in the month, this generates further momentum toward recognition of Palestine and a durable two-state solution to conflict in the region.
“A sustainable peace must begin with recognition of the legitimate aspirations and rights of both peoples in the eyes of the international community. A peace process, as far off as that may feel at present, will only succeed if the people of Israel and Palestine are equal partners. Today’s decision is an honest reflection of that unavoidable truth.
“I sincerely hope that this act of recognition will be followed in other capitals in the time ahead. The international community has been slow to address the horrors inflicted on the people of Gaza following the inhumanity of the Hamas attacks. Now is the time to escalate efforts for peace.”
Tánaiste Micheal Martin added "It is important that our decision to recognise Palestine is not misrepresented as a hostile act towards the State of Israel.
"We unequivocally support the right of the State of Israel to exist and the right of the Israeli people to peaceful self-determination, just as we unequivocally support the right of the State of Palestine to exist, and the right of the Palestinian people to peaceful self-determination.
"We acknowledge the heartbreak, loss and anguish of the Israeli people. We condemn without equivocation the savagery of Hamas on October 7th.
"We recognise, validate and agree with your desire to live in security and dignity, as a strong, vibrant and independent state.
"Just as we acknowledge the heartbreak, loss and anguish of the Palestinian people and recognise, validate and agree with your desire to live in security as a strong, vibrant and independent state."
The Tániste continued "Israeli and Palestinian citizens alike are a valued and cherished part of our society here in Ireland, and I challenge and reject anyone who would seek to delegitimise either’s history, culture, or beliefs.
"In recognising the State of Palestine, we also unambiguously reject those, in Palestine and in Israel, who call for the entirety of the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan to be a mono-ethnic state, based either on forcible exile or subjugation.
"A new pathway is needed towards the aim that is overwhelmingly endorsed by the international community; a two-state solution based on 1967 borders, with the State of Israel, and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign, and viable State of Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states.
"A solution that will bring to an end the 57 year Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory."
