Irish vote urges recognition of Palestinian state
Dublin says it won’t take further steps without coordination with EU partners
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DUBLIN — Lawmakers have passed a non-binding resolution urging Ireland to recognize Palestinian statehood, but the government says it would take that step only in coordination with European Union partners.
Tuesday night’s unanimous vote in Ireland’s lower house of parliament followed lawmakers’ passage of similarly aspirational motions in Britain, Spain and France.
The motion calls for recognition of a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders with an East Jerusalem capital “as a further positive contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
The Palestinian right to self-determination and a state, and Israeli security are both “unquestionable,” the resolution noted.
The resolution also decries settlement activity as “illegal and severely threatening the establishment of a viable Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders.”
Some news reports Wednesday misinterpreted the Irish vote as a government decision to recognize Palestinian statehood.
But in a statement to The Associated Press, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs says Ireland’s position is unchanged. While government lawmakers did support the motion’s aspirations, it said, unilateral action by Ireland would undermine wider efforts begun last month in Brussels to forge a possible joint EU position on Palestinian statehood.
Sweden officially recognized Palestinian statehood October 30, igniting an EU-wide debate.
The Times of Israel Community.