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Caoimhe de Barra, Trócaire’s CEO, said, “Recognition of the State of Palestine by Ireland is very welcome. Ireland, Norway and Spain now join with the 143 member states of the United Nations, out of 193 in total, that recognise the State of Palestine. Recognising the State of Palestine is important because it affirms the right of Palestinians to self-determination in a sovereign Palestinian state. It strongly signals support for a two-state solution and for a more equal playing field between Israel and Palestine in future negotiations.”
“However, it will serve only as a symbolic gesture unless it is accompanied by decisive action by Ireland and other member states to help Palestinians realise this right to self-determination. The right to self-determination is an integral element of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms and yet the State of Israel, through its persecution and dispossession of Palestinians, has systematically denied them this right for decades. The welcome announcement by Ireland, along with other states, that it will formally recognise the State of Palestine comes at a time where there is very little left of Palestine to recognise. As a result, today the fulfilment of this right for Palestinians has never seemed further away, let alone the possibility of a sovereign Palestinian state.”
“Trócaire is calling on the Irish Government to build on its announcement to formally recognise the State of Palestine by taking immediate concrete steps to end the war on Gaza and prevent further war crimes.”
“In the Gaza Strip, over 35,000 Palestinians including more than 14,000 children have been killed. The healthcare system has been decimated and Palestinians who have been forcibly displaced multiple times are facing famine and malnutrition. Almost 70% of housing has been either completely destroyed or damaged. Schools and hospitals have been flattened. Our partners on the ground are saying the situation is beyond catastrophic. Even if the war ended tomorrow Gaza is in ruins.”
“Across the West Bank Israel has continued to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homes and the State of Israel has continued to take over vast tracts of Palestinian land, aided and abetted by the Israeli military and illegal Israeli settlers. The year 2023 saw Israeli settlements expand in the occupied Palestinian territory at a pace unprecedented since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.”
“Ireland needs to take unilateral steps to hold Israel to account for its war crimes against the Palestinian people. The bottom line here is that without Israel paying any price for its actions it will continue to undermine any possibility of a Palestinian state and peace in the region. Ireland can do this by enacting the Occupied Territories Bill and Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill in Dáil Éireann, and ensuring that Irish taxpayer money is not used for military procurement from Israeli defence contractors or investments by the Irish Strategic Investment Fund in companies complicit in the illegal Israeli settlements or the war on Gaza.
“We believe that by taking such tangible and practical actions, that are in line with its obligations under international law and in keeping with the will of the Irish people, the Irish Government can continue to show leadership in bringing about an end to this unjust and awful situation that has gone on for far too long. But today, what is needed more than ever is a permanent ceasefire in the war on Gaza. This is critical to end the untold misery, death and suffering that hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians have endured for over seven months.”
