Ireland appointed an ambassador to Palestine for the first time on Tuesday, while lawmakers passed a non-binding motion two days later, acknowledging that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Senior ministers confirmed that Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid would step up from her current position as Palestinian Head of Mission to Ireland.
In May Dublin said it was recognizing Palestine as “a sovereign and independent state” comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and agreed to establish full diplomatic relations.
Spain and Norway recognized a Palestinian state the same day as Ireland, with Slovenia following a week later, drawing retaliatory moves from Israel.
They have been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s ruthless attacks since Oct. 7, 2023, which killed over 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Formal diplomatic relations between Ireland and the State of Palestine were established in September.
Last month, the Palestinian Authority formally notified Dublin of its intention to upgrade its representation in Ireland from a diplomatic mission to a resident embassy under the 1961 Vienna Convention which guarantees protection for diplomatic staff.
The upgrade means that the diplomatic mission will now have the full range of privileges and immunities applicable under the Vienna Convention.
Meanwhile, the country’s deputy prime minister, or tanaiste, also announced that Dublin plans to intervene by the end of the year in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), reported London-based news agency PA.
Micheal Martin also emphasized the country’s commitment to a strict interpretation of the Genocide Convention, as well as the “detailed and rigorous legal analysis” that the government conducted in its decision to intervene in the case.
Ireland has repeatedly stated that it would submit a declaration of intervention to the ICJ once South Africa filed its memorial in the case, which it did last Monday.
“Ireland is a strong supporter of the work of the court and is deeply committed to international law and accountability,” Martin said.
The motion urged the government to impose trade, travel and diplomatic sanctions on Israel, with the parliamentary debate framed around its failure to pass an earlier bill that would have imposed trade curbs on Israeli settlements in Palestine, during the current legislature’s term.
Following an advisory opinion from the U.N.’s top court in July that Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories violates international law and must end, the Irish government has sought legal advice regarding the bill.
Martin stated that the ICJ’s opinion has altered the legal context for the bill but said that the EU had exclusive authority to adopt legal measures on trade matters related to its member states, which include Ireland.
“The government’s analysis is that substantive amendment will be required to most, if not all, of the bill’s provisions to try to bring it into line with EU law and our own constitution while prohibiting imports from the occupied territories,” he added.
The motion also urged the government to immediately suspend all military trade with Israel, halt dual-use licenses to Israel, and prohibit the use of Irish airspace and airports for weapons transfers to Israel.
Martin stated that there were no military exports from Ireland to Israel, emphasizing that the Irish government regulates the export of dual-use items in accordance with international guidelines.
