The Government is committed to recognising the State of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict. Ireland has long looked forward to being able to recognize a sovereign Palestinian state existing in fact and not just in theory.
In the light of the motions passed by the Dáil and Seanad in 2014, I am also considering whether early recognition by Ireland of a state of Palestine, in advance of its actual achievement on the ground, could play a helpful part in advancing a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
There are many varied factors bearing on this question. They include the likely impact of such a move on the peace process, the possible value of recognition as a symbolic gesture, the likely impact on other initiatives and perception by other actors, and the likely effect on Ireland’s ongoing influence on the issue. In addition, should I decide to recommend early recognition to the Government, then as an essentially symbolic action the timing of such a move would also be a matter of careful judgement.
I will be carefully considering all these factors in the coming period. I hope to be able to begin with a visit to the region in the near future, enabling me to hear the views of the parties themselves.