Harris to raise case for Palestinian recognition in Brussels

• Published date: 11 April 2024
• Author: CORMAC McQUINN, MARIE O’HALLORAN , HARRY McGEE
• Publication title: Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)

Taoiseach Simon Harris will raise Ireland’s intention to formally recognise the state of Palestine when he meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels today. Government sources said yesterday that Ireland believes it is best to take the step in concert with other countries, and not unilaterally

A group of like-minded states including Spain, Slovenia and Malta plan to put the matter on the agenda of both the next European Council meeting in April and also on the agenda of the next meeting of foreign ministers.

“We want to keep the momentum up. There is a growing determination to do this tied to the peace initiative. We want a concrete proposal for recognising Palestine to be put,” said the sources.

A spokesman for Mr Harris said the situation in Palestine and the Middle East is “high on the agenda” for today’s meetings. He said both Mr Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin have expressed Ireland’s views on recognising the State of Palestine but have also called for a ceasefire and the need to get aid flowing into Gaza.

He said Mr Harris will ask Ms von der Leyen what progress she and the EU’s foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell have made on peace talks.

The formal EU position is that it will recognise the Palestinian state when it is established as part of the two-state settlement set out by the Oslo Accord three decades ago. This would provide for two states within the territory, with the borders being those that were there pre-1967, the year Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza during the Six-Day War.

The situation in Gaza is also expected to come up during meetings with European Council President Charles Michel and the prime ministers of six EU counties, including Poland’s Donald Tusk, at a gathering in Warsaw later in the day.

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