Ireland: Seanad votes to recognise Palestine as an independent state

Senator Averil Power has said that the motion had received “strong cross-party support”.

‘The Seanad has passed a motion calling on the Irish Government to formally recognise the State of Palestine.

Last week, 31 of the upper house’s 60 members signed the motion which was proposed by Fianna Fáil’s Averil Power.

Fine Gael senators met to discuss their position on the motion yesterday and it was passed earlier today without a vote.

Power said it was important that the international community “sends out a clear message of support for the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination” following a seven-week period of intense fighting in the Gaza region during the summer.

According to UN figures, 2,138 Palestinians, almost three-quarters of them civilians, and 68 on the Israeli side, nearly all of them soldiers, were killed in Israeli air strikes and tank shelling.

If Ireland were to officially recognise the State of Palestine, it would become the second EU country to do so, after Sweden.’

The motion stated:

“Seanad Éireann calls on the Government to formally recognise the State of Palestine and do everything it can at the international level to help secure a viable two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Report from the Journal.ie