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Ireland stands with Palestine, accuses Israel of genocide
2025-05-29 18:06:10 / BOTA
Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister has defended the government's actions towards Palestine, stating that it was the first EU country to call Israel's actions a genocide.
Ireland's Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have accused Israel of genocide in the Irish parliament - for the first time this week.
The Irish government is under pressure to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements, remove the powers of the Central Bank of Ireland to allow the sale of Israeli bonds in the EU – and to stop flights allegedly carrying munitions to the Middle East from passing through Ireland.
The Irish government recognized Palestinian statehood a year ago and has called for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Ireland has also intervened in the South African case by accusing Israel of genocide at the International Criminal Court (ICC), asking the court to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes genocide.
Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris was asked in parliament today whether Israel was being treated differently by Russia and was accused of defending a narrative that was completely false on the conflict in the Middle East.
Responding to independent MP Catherine Connolly, he said the bill banning trade in goods with illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian lands would be referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee in June.
Defending the government's position, he said that Ireland was the first government in the European Union to say that Israel's actions constitute genocide.
"We are working to support the people of Palestine. Ireland, the government, the people of Ireland, stand with the people of Palestine, standing up for human rights, standing up for international law," he said.
"I'm proud of the people of this country. I'm proud that we went to the election and, regardless of which party you were with, you stood up and said, 'We will support the people of Palestine,'" he stressed.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin defended his government's decision not to support a Sinn Fein bill that proposes to empower Ireland's Finance Minister to end the Central Bank's role in facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds to the EU.
"We have been very consistent in our support for the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, and in condemning the war crimes and genocide that is happening now," Martin said.
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