When the Irish government announced on Wednesday that it would formally recognize an independent Palestinian state, it capitalized on its own struggle for statehood and the violence that surrounds it.
“We know from our own history what this means: recognition is an act with strong political and symbolic value,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told a news conference.
Harris acknowledged the Republic of Ireland’s search for autonomy in the early 20th century after hundreds of years of British rule. He details how on January 21, 1919 Ireland asked the world to recognize its right to independence.
“Our message to the free nations of the world is a call to the international community to recognize our independence, to emphasize our unique national identity, our historical struggles and our rights to self-determination and justice,” he said. “Today we support the same language Recognize Palestine as a state.”
Ireland condemns Hamas, which led an attack on Israel on October 7 that officials there said killed about 1,200 people. Since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, Israel has harshly condemned Israeli attacks, which Gaza authorities say have killed more than 35,000 people.
Mr Harris stressed that Ireland’s announcement came on the same day as a similar move in Ireland. spain and norway, has not weakened his country’s relationship with Israel. Rather, he said, it was an acknowledgment that the states of Israel and Palestine had an equal right to exist.
“I want to know that in the years to come, Ireland will speak out and speak out in support of peace,” he added.
Republic of Ireland has a long history of supporting the Palestinians and their efforts to establish an independent state, with Wednesday’s announcement supported across the political spectrum and within the country’s coalition government.
The small island of Ireland – made up of the independent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom – has experienced its own seemingly intractable sectarian conflict, between mainly pro-independence Catholic nationalists and most pro-union parties. Protestant Unionists. with the UK.
The conflict, which came to be known as the Troubles after decades of terror bombings, shootings and clashes with troops and police killed thousands, was ended in 1998 by the Good Friday Agreement.
“For decades, Ireland has recognized the State of Israel and its right to exist in peace and security,” Mr Harris said. “We had hoped to recognize Palestine as part of a two-state peace deal, but we recognized Palestine to keep hope for a two-state solution alive.”
Harris also drew on Irish history when distinguishing between Hamas terrorism and the wider Palestinian population.
Asked whether recognizing Palestinian statehood would empower Hamas, Mr Harris said: “Hamas is not the Palestinian people and in Ireland we know better than most countries in the world that when terrorist groups try to hijack What does your identity look like?” and seek to speak for you. “
This is an apparent reference to the deadly terror attacks carried out decades ago by paramilitary groups on the Irish and British islands, often in the name of Irish independence.
“Palestine is made up of people, people of righteousness. So is Israel,” he said, adding: “I think right-thinking people around the world are able to distinguish between the actions of terrorists and the actions of righteous people in a country.”
