Ireland–Palestine relations

{{Short description|Bilateral relations between Ireland and Palestine}}{{pp-extended|small=yes}}

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{{Infobox Bilateral relations|Ireland–Palestine|Ireland|Palestine|mission1=Palestinian Embassy, Dublin|mission2=Representative Office of Ireland, Ramallah|envoytitle1=|envoy1=|envoytitle2=|envoy2=}}

Ireland–Palestine relations are the bilateral and historical relations between Ireland and Palestine.{{Cite web |url=https://www.dfa.ie/prep/ramallah/our-role/palestinian-irish-relations/ |title=Palestinian-Irish Relations |access-date=22 May 2018 |archive-date=17 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117003823/https://www.dfa.ie/prep/ramallah/our-role/palestinian-irish-relations/ |url-status=live }} In 2000, Ireland established a representative office in Ramallah and Palestine has an embassy in Dublin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dfa.ie/prep/ramallah/our-role/palestinian-irish-relations/|title=Palestinian-Irish Relations - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade|website=www.dfa.ie|access-date=22 May 2018|archive-date=17 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117003823/https://www.dfa.ie/prep/ramallah/our-role/palestinian-irish-relations/|url-status=live}} Both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.

Ireland, which was the first European Union member state to back Palestine's presence in the UN General Assembly, enjoys closer relations with Palestine than other European countries. In late 2024, Ireland announced it would join South Africa's Gaza genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice.{{Cite web |last=Saltman |first=Max |date=2025-01-07 |title=Ireland joins genocide case against Israel at International Court of Justice |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/07/middleeast/ireland-genocide-israel-icj-intl-latam/index.html |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=CNN |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=M.I |title=Ireland files a declaration of intervention in the proceedings under Article 63 of the Statute - Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) - Press release |url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/ireland-files-a-declaration-of-intervention-in-the-proceedings-under-article-63-of-the-statute-application-of-the-convention-on-the-prevention-and-punishment-of-the-crime-of-genocide-in-the-gaza-str/ |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=Question of Palestine |language=en-US}}

Irish politicians have met with leaders of both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has criticized European Union president Ursula von der Leyen for her pro-Israel stance.{{Cite news |last1=Carroll |first1=Rory |last2=O'Carroll |first2=Lisa |date=2023-11-20 |title='It's part of our psyche': why Ireland sides with 'underdog' Palestine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/20/ireland-palestine-ceasefire-gaza |access-date=2025-02-23 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

== History==

In 1969, Irish Foreign Minister Frank Aiken called resolving the conflict in the Middle East as Ireland's "most pressing" foreign policy objective.{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/diarmaid-ferriter-time-for-ireland-to-recognise-palestine-1.3345983|first=Diarmaid|last=Ferriter|title=Time for Ireland to recognise Palestine|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=26 July 2018|archive-date=26 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726225358/https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/diarmaid-ferriter-time-for-ireland-to-recognise-palestine-1.3345983?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fdiarmaid-ferriter-time-for-ireland-to-recognise-palestine-1.3345983|url-status=live}} In 2024, Jane Ohlmeyer, a history professor at Trinity College Dublin, noted the tendency to see the conflict through the prism of Northern Ireland, where republican nationalists sympathize with Palestine and loyalists, unionists with Israel".{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Peter |last2=Kanno-Youngs |first2=Zolan |title=As Irish Leader Visits U.S., Shamrock Camaraderie Is Strained by Gaza War |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/us/politics/ireland-us-gaza.html |access-date=27 March 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=14 March 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240315000515/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/us/politics/ireland-us-gaza.html |archive-date=15 March 2024}}

In 1980, Ireland was the first European Union member state to endorse the establishment of a Palestinian state.{{Cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/06/23/why-the-irish-support-palestine-2/|title=Why the Irish Support Palestine|website=Foreign Policy|access-date=22 May 2018|archive-date=22 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522181412/https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/06/23/why-the-irish-support-palestine-2/|url-status=live}}

In 1999 Taoiseach Bertie Ahern went on a two-day trip to Gaza where he met with Yasser Arafat and visited the Jabaliya refugee camp.{{cite news |last1=Casey |first1=Ruairi |title=What's behind Ireland's support for Palestine? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/7/whats-behind-irelands-support-for-palestine |work=Al Jazeera |date=7 June 2021}} In 2001, the State of Palestine opened a mission in Ireland with Ali Hamineh as its first Delegate-general.{{Cite web|url=https://palestinemission.ie/about/|title=Mission of the State of Palestine in Ireland}} In September 2001 Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen travelled to Gaza and met with Arafat.{{cite news |title=Cowen, Arafat send sympathy to American people |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2001/0911/18612-mideast/ |date=11 September 2001}}

In 2009, Hamas leader and then-Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh invited Gerry Adams, the leader of the Irish Sinn Fein party, to Gaza.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-02 |title=Gerry Adams on his meeting with Ismail Haniyeh |url=https://vote.sinnfein.ie/gerry-adams-on-his-meeting-with-ismail-haniyeh/ |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=Sinn Féin |language=en-US}} Adams and his delegation met with Haniyeh on 9 April 2009; Adams praised him as a negotiator and would later go on to condemn Haniyeh's assassination by Israel.

In January 2011, Ireland accorded the Palestinian delegation in Dublin diplomatic status.{{cite news|author=Jones, Ryan|date=26 January 2011|title=Europe starts process of recognizing Palestine|newspaper=Israel Today|url=http://www.israeltoday.co.il/tabid/178/nid/22629/Default.aspx|access-date=4 September 2011|archive-date=12 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112101653/http://www.israeltoday.co.il/tabid/178/nid/22629/Default.aspx|url-status=live}} A few months later, their Foreign Affairs Minister stated that Ireland would recognize Palestinian statehood, but not until the PNA was in full control over its territories.{{cite news|date=22 March 2011|title=Gilmore 'hopes to recognise full Palestinian state'|newspaper=The Journal|url=http://jrnl.ie/108152|access-date=4 September 2011|archive-date=5 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105180128/https://www.thejournal.ie/gilmore-%E2%80%98hopes-to-recognise-full-palestinian-state%E2%80%99-108152-Mar2011/ |url-status=live}} In October 2014, the Upper House of the Irish Parliament unanimously passed a motion calling on the Government to recognize the State of Palestine.{{cite news|date=22 October 2014|title=Senators have agreed to recognise Palestine as an independent state|newspaper=The Journal|publisher=Distilled Media Ltd|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/seanad-vote-palestine-1738722-Oct2014/|access-date=7 November 2014|archive-date=22 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422135521/https://www.thejournal.ie/seanad-vote-palestine-1738722-Oct2014/|url-status=live}} In December 2014, the Lower House of Ireland's Parliament followed suit.{{cite web|last=Ariel|first=Ben|date=10 December 2014|title=Irish Parliament Urges Government to Recognize 'Palestine'|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/188509|access-date=10 December 2014|archive-date=27 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927063602/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/188509|url-status=live}} However, the government said it would recognize Palestine only as part of a broader EU initiative.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/tds-asked-do-we-want-to-be-on-right-side-of-history-1.4570827|title=TDs asked 'do we want to be on right side of history?'|date=20 May 2021|newspaper=The Irish Times|first=Marie|last=O'Halloran}}

During the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, the Dáil called Israel's de facto annexation of Palestine illegal.{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/26/ireland-recognises-israels-de-facto-annexation-of-palestine|title=Ireland condemns Israel's 'de facto annexation' of Palestine|date=26 May 2021|website=Al Jazeera}}

On 22 May 2024, amid increasing international criticism of Israel's actions in the Gaza war, the Irish Government announced that it recognised the State of Palestine, in a coordinated action with the governments of Norway and Spain. The move was criticised by Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz who announced the recall of the Israeli Ambassador, Dana Erlich.[https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2024/0522/1450531-palestinian-state/ Israel furious as three countries recognise Palestinian state]

With the United States being seen as a staunch ally of Israel in the Gaza war, the then Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, had acknowledged a "differences of opinions in relation [between the US and Ireland] to Israel and Gaza", particularly regarding the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.{{cite news |last1=McGee |first1=Harry |last2=Duggan |first2=Keith |title=Taoiseach insists he will not dilute Government's criticism of Israel during US trip |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/03/14/taoiseach-insists-he-will-not-dilute-governments-criticism-of-israel-during-us-trip/ |access-date=27 March 2024 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=14 March 2024}}

Formal diplomatic relations between the Ireland and the State of Palestine were established on 29 September 2024 through an exchange of diplomatic notes. In October 2024, the government of the State of Palestine formally notified the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs of its intention to change Palestine’s representation to a resident embassy under the Vienna Convention. In November 2024, the Irish government approved the appointment of Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid as the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland.{{Cite news |title=Appointment of first full ambassador from Palestine approved by Government |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/11/05/appointment-of-first-full-ambassador-from-palestine-approved-by-government/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}