Dublin: Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin announced on Wednesday that Ireland will recognize Palestinian statehood before the end of May, without specifying a date. “We will be recognizing the state of Palestine before the end of the month,” Martin, who is also Ireland’s deputy prime minister, told the Newstalk radio station.
Martin’s statement comes amidst growing international pressure to address the longstanding conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Speaking to Newstalk radio station, Martin affirmed Ireland’s commitment to recognizing the state of Palestine. In March the leaders of Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Malta said in a joint statement that they stand ready to recognize Palestinian statehood.
While Ireland has long maintained its willingness to recognize Palestine if it could contribute to peace efforts in the region, recent events, particularly Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, have intensified the urgency of the issue.
Last week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia were planning to recognize a Palestinian state on May 21, with other EU members potentially following suit. However, Martin refrained from specifying a precise date for Ireland’s recognition, citing ongoing discussions with other countries regarding a joint recognition effort. “The specific date is still fluid because we are still in discussions with some countries in respect of a joint recognition of a Palestinian state,” he said.
Ireland is certain to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the country’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said on Wednesday, without specifying a date.https://t.co/o8vFF8HxUO
— Al-Monitor (@AlMonitor) May 15, 2024
Martin emphasized the importance of coordination among like-minded nations to lend weight to the decision and send a strong message of support for Palestinian statehood. “It will become clear in the next few days as to the specific date but it certainly will be before the end of this month. He indicated that consultations were ongoing with foreign ministers to finalize the details of the recognition. “I will look forward to consultations today with some foreign ministers in respect of the final specific detail of this.”
Last month during a visit to Dublin by Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said the countries would coordinate the move together. “When we move forward, we would like to do so with as many others as possible to lend weight to the decision and to send the strongest message,” said Harris.
Harris’s office said Wednesday that he updated King Abdullah II of Jordan by telephone on Ireland’s plan for statehood recognition. Harris “outlined Ireland and Spain’s ongoing efforts on Palestinian recognition and ongoing discussions with other like-minded countries”, a statement read.
“The King and the Taoiseach (prime minister) agreed that both Ireland and Jordan should stay in touch in the coming days,” it added.
Since October 7 last year, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinian people, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry.
