Irish parliament calls on government to recognize Palestine

The Upper House of Ireland’s parliament on Wednesday passed a motion calling on the government to recognize a Palestinian state.

It is the third European country (after Sweden and the UK) in less than a month to throw its weight behind Ramallah’s statehood bid.

Ireland was the first European country to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and has traditionally been one of Israel’s bitterest critics in the EU.

Speaking in the Seanad, Senator Averil Power, from the center-right republican party said: “By joining Sweden and other EU states in recognizing Palestine.. we will create pressure on Israel to pursue a genuine peace process that has a real prospect of delivering peace and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

The Israeli embassy in Dublin tweeted its disapproval.

“Today, a Palestinian man murdered a 3 month old (!) Jewish baby in Jerusalem [a]nd yesterday the Irish Seanad has passed a motion calling on the Government to recognise the state of Palestine without direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,” the statement read