Simon Harris told the Dáil that the recognition of the state of Palestine is “a proud day for Ireland”.
In a statement to the Dáil, as Ireland formally recognizes the State of Palestine, Mr Harris said: “I welcome the decision of the Belgian Presidency to convene a meeting on the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
“The human rights clauses in that agreement are and must have meaning and if they are not respected there must be consequences.
“We must look at all the levers at our disposal to end the violence before Netanyahu's next tragic mistake.”
“Formal recognition of the State of Palestine here today is an act of powerful political and symbolic value. I hope it sends a message of hope to the Palestinian people that Ireland stands with them in this darkest hour.
“It is an expression of our view that Palestine possesses and should be able to defend the full rights of statehood, including self-determination, self-government, territorial integrity and security, as well as recognizing Palestine's own obligations under international law.”
Applause broke out in the public gallery and distinguished visitors' gallery, where many Palestinian dignitaries attend the Dáil, as the Taoiseach told the Dáil that “it is a proud day for Ireland to recognize the State of Palestine”.
Mr Harris had earlier acknowledged their presence, looked at where they were sitting and said that “the fighting, the killing and the barbaric acts must stop”.
The Palestinian flag was raised at Leinster House today.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he is confident that other European countries will recognize the state of Palestine.
“I have long believed that recognizing Palestine would have the most impact if done in a coordinated way with other partners,” Mr Martin told the Dáil.
“That we have taken the decision to recognize the State of Palestine together with Norway and Spain – and in the broader context of a regional peace initiative – is important.
“I am convinced that there is a growing consensus among like-minded partners that the Palestinian state can no longer wait until the end of a process of negotiations for a final settlement between the parties.
“I expect that other European partners will decide to recognize Palestine in the coming weeks and months.
“The challenge now is to maintain this momentum. We need a fundamental paradigm shift in the way all of us in the international community view the solution to this conflict. We need urgency and we need concrete steps.
“We have often said that an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access are essential. That remains essential and we will not rest until we achieve this.”
As he arrived for the cabinet meeting this morning, the Prime Minister said the EU has the power to impose sanctions on Israel, but it must do more to end the violence.
“Europe could do much more and Europe must do much more in this area,” the Fine Gael leader said.
It comes as EU foreign ministers hold key discussions this week on sanctioning Israel if the country fails to comply with international humanitarian law.
“We have an association agreement that is essentially a trade agreement between Europe and Israel, and I am confident that the overwhelming majority of people in this country would like to see that agreement revised from a human rights perspective,” the president said. Mr Harris. added.
He described the decision to recognize Palestinian statehood as “historic and important.”
This is an important moment and I think it sends a message to the world that there are practical actions you can take as a country to keep alive the hope and destiny of a two-state solution at a time when others are unfortunately trying to bomb . forgotten,” he said.
“As we make this historic and important decision today, however, I am aware of the ongoing human catastrophe unfolding in the Middle East, in Gaza, in Rafah. I am aware of the devastation caused by people being deprived of food, famine, and hunger being used as a weapon of war.
'Unfortunately, we are now seeing a new despicable and disgusting trend emerging where, every now and then, especially when absolute horror seems to be taking place, the Prime Minister of Israel (Benjamin Netanyahu) comes out and describes it as a 'tragic mistake '.
“The 'tragic mistake' of April was the shooting dead of aid workers trying to provide food to starving mouths. May's 'tragic mistake' yesterday was that children were shot dead while seeking protection in a displacement centre.
“What will June's 'tragic mistake' be? And more importantly, what is the world planning now to prevent this?
“For weeks, at every meeting I have been to, including the European Council meeting and my meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, and in many conversations with European Prime Ministers, I have consistently made the point that we should use every lever at our disposal to achieve a to establish a ceasefire and stop the violence.”
Previously, opposition politicians said Ireland must “go further” than formal recognition of Palestinian statehood and introduce sanctions against Israel.
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon called the decision to recognize Palestinian statehood “brave” in the context of other world leaders, but it does not go far enough.
“We have distinguished ourselves because the bar is low. It is our duty to go so much further,” he said.
Today's news in 90 seconds – May 28, 2024
The call for sanctions against Israel comes as the EU is exploring possible sanctions if the country fails to comply with an International Court of Justice order.
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said outside Leinster House this morning: “If we make the decision today to recognize Palestinian statehood – as we should have done a long time ago – we must also recognize that that does not go nearly far enough.
“This situation that we have witnessed in Gaza over the past seven months is nothing short of horrific. What we are experiencing every night in Rafah is nothing short of barbaric.
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon
“The only thing that will end this horror is sanctioning Israel and the Israeli government.”
Mr Gannon said the Irish government must be “relentless” and “once again go further” than its EU counterparts, passing the Occupied Territories Act and introducing sanctions against Israel.
He said that the recognition of Palestinian statehood should not in itself be seen as a “punishment” for Israel and that there should be consequences, such as trade sanctions at EU level.
“The fact that (Benjamin) Netanyahu came out and said it was a tactical mistake when they literally bombed a tent village and didn't really realize that there would be children and women who would be burned in the process? That's not a tactical error. That was egregious.”
Meanwhile, Labor Senator Annie Hoey welcomed the formal recognition of Palestine which will take place today, but also called on the government to do more.
She described the images emerging from Rafah over the past 48 hours and the “cries and cries for mercy” and called on the government to “go even further than the law on the occupied territories.”
“We need full sanctions and a full boycott of Israel, the same way we had against South Africa, to tackle apartheid,” she said.
“What we are doing is not enough because we keep seeing burned bodies, burned children, burned women, burned men. I can't believe I'm seeing images in 2024.
“We simply must go further than just recognizing the state of Palestine.”
People Before Profit TD and European election candidate Bríd Smith reiterated calls to sanction Israel.
She said it was “very significant” that the Palestinian flag now flies at Leinster House.
“We believe that flying the flag and declaring recognition of Palestinian statehood is very welcome, but it does not go far enough, especially in light of the events in Rafah,” she said.