Matt Carthy
Ceist:1. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will urgently set a date on which Ireland will officially recognise the state of Palestine. [11047/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 7 March 2024
Ceisteanna (1)
Freagraí ó Béal (8 píosaí cainte)
Will the Tánaiste outline when Ireland will finally set a date to officially recognise the state of Palestine in line with the wishes of both Houses of the Oireachtas and the call from virtually all Palestinian political and civil organisations and in line with international law?
I thank Deputy Carthy for raising the question. In Gaza, Palestinian civilians are living in conditions that no human being should have to endure. Gaza is on the brink of a man-made famine. Every day without a ceasefire brings this truly horrific prospect ever closer. I share the deep concerns of this House about the current war and it must end. This is why, every day, my focus remains on achieving an immediate ceasefire.
I remain equally focused on the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and on a massive and sustained increase in humanitarian aid, with full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. I remain hopeful that the talks between Israel, US, Qatar and Egypt will deliver a ceasefire in the near future, and in advance of Ramadan. While we are focused on ending the current brutal war, we cannot lose sight of the need for an urgent and comprehensive political track to end decades of conflict.
In terms of recognition of a state of Palestine, the commitment in the programme for Government states that we will "recognise the State of Palestine as part of a lasting settlement of the conflict, or in advance of that, when we believe doing so will progress efforts to reach a two-State solution or protect the integrity of Palestinian territory".
There are intensive ongoing discussions about how the international community can develop and support a credible pathway to the implementation of a two-state solution. In this regard, we have been actively engaged with regional partners on the finalisation of a peace plan currently being developed by a core group of Arab states. I discussed this with the Jordanian and Palestinian foreign ministers in the Munich security conference and senior officials from my Department have travelled to the region in recent weeks at my request to further consult with key partners on the details of this plan and how Ireland, with a number of European partners, could support this initiative.
Recognition is a step Ireland can only take once, a step which should be taken with a group of European partners, and a step which should be calibrated to best advance a two-state solution and-or protect the integrity of Palestinian territory. This is, and will remain, my focus and that of my Department.
I thank the Tánaiste. The closing summary of his remarks have been read into the record of the Dáil hundreds of times over the past decade. When the Tánaiste says we have to look at recognition on the basis of what is the most optimal way possible for the benefit of the Palestinian people, I often wonder if those who cite this realise how patronising they sound. Every Palestinian political representative and every Palestinian civic organisation is asking states such as Ireland to officially recognise their state before it is too late. We are saying in response, apparently, that we will figure out and decide when it is best for them. It recalls Parnell's words that "no man has a right to fix the boundary to the march of a nation". We have to step up. As I said to the Tánaiste last week, if we do not do so, there will be no Palestine left to recognise. I ask the Tánaiste to set a date and send out the word to the world that others are welcome to join us in doing this.
That reply was not one that has been issued for the past number of months or years. If Deputy Carthy listened to it carefully he would see that. All of us in the House have to make a decision on whether we just want to be performative or we want to be impactful. I believe we want to be impactful. The Arab peace initiative is fairly imminent. I believe it is dependent on a ceasefire and we need a ceasefire urgently. We have been working with our colleagues, in terms of those who have been putting together the Arab peace initiative, with the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others. The view is that if we could work with other European countries and with those Arab states in the context of an Arab peace initiative that would also have US endorsement, it would potentially be an optimal and impactful time for a number of European states at that juncture to support the initiative through the vehicle of recognition. We have had discussions with a number of our European colleagues in this regard.
I ask the Tánaiste to stop accusing every Opposition Member who asks a question on this issue or urges him to take action on this issue of being somehow disingenuous, and to accept that every one of us has a bona fide rationale for raising these matters. This rationale is that we want to see, in the first instance, an immediate ceasefire and, in the second instance, lasting peace.
Of the 193 members of the United Nations, 139 recognise the state of Palestine. This is not somehow about showing great initiative. It is about the rest of the world catching up with what international law clearly states. I welcome any peace initiative. I welcome Ireland's engagement on those peace initiatives. Palestinian organisations and political representatives, including the representatives of the Palestinian Authority, say to us that a meaningful thing Ireland could do today is to set a date on which it will recognise the state of Palestine and then encourage and put pressure on others to join, and I would hope they would. When they say this, we have to listen. Does the Tánaiste not accept this?
I never said Deputy Carthy was disingenuous. I do not know where he invented that from. I did not use it at all in my reply.
You used the term "performative". What was that about?
I did not interrupt Deputy Carthy. I have to correct a false assertion that he made. What I did say was that there is a difference between being performative and being impactful. I respectfully suggest, through the Chair, that Deputy Carthy's tendency is to the former. He is into performance on this and into rhetoric and soundbite. He does not give credit for, or acknowledge, the Government's genuine interest in developing this, in particular on the recognition question in terms of doing it optimally and with impact. We can only do it once. I have spoken to the foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority. We meet quite regularly with the Palestinian Authority. This week I met the secretary general of Fatah and so did Deputy Carthy.
The point is that I think they understand where we are. The fact is that we are pressing for the publication of the peace initiative because I think that would be significant, in the context of the question.