Greens welcome recognition of the State of Palestine

The Green Party has welcomed today’s Government decision to recognise the State of Palestine (May 22). The Green Party has long supported the Palestinian right to self-determination and the two-state solution as the only path to peace for Israel and Palestine. The Party called on the rest of the international community to extend recognition to Palestine and support the Palestinian bid to join the United Nations. The decision was announced at a press conference earlier this morning hosted by the three government party leaders. 

Minister Eamon Ryan, Leader of the Green Party said;

“It is long past time that Palestine joins the other nations of the world as an internationally recognised state. This is a vital step on the path to peace and promotes the establishment of a two state solution for Palestine in conjunction with Israel. We hope this recognition will be complemented by other initiatives to halt the war in Gaza. It in no way undermines our recognition of the right of Israel to exist. We want to see an immediate release of all hostages and at the same time provision of humanitarian aid for all those left destitute by the war.”

Senator Vincent P. Martin, Green Party spokesperson on Foreign Affairs said;

“The Green Party has campaigned for Ireland to recognise the State of Palestine for many years - we wholeheartedly welcome today’s announcement, and we hope that many other countries will follow suit. The Green Party believes that a Two-State Solution can deliver the much-needed peace, fairness and parity of esteem - the decision to recognise the State of Palestine is an essential step along that challenging road of achieving lasting peace.”

Patrick Costello TD, Chair of the Ireland-Palestine Interparliamentary Friendship Group;

“State supported settler violence and the relentless expansion of settlements by the Israeli government has undermined the Two-State Solution. Recognition of Palestine is an important measure to push back against that. We must now insist that the EU Commission acknowledges that Israel is in breach of the EU-Israel trade agreement and takes action, including suspending it.”