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Ireland appoints ambassador to Palestine and recognizes genocide

Sakege November 9, 2024

Ireland named 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 leave her current position as Head of the Palestinian Mission in Ireland.

In May, Dublin said it recognized Palestine as “a sovereign and independent state.” which includes the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and agreed to establish full diplomatic relations.

Spain and Norway recognized a Palestinian state on the same day as Ireland, and Slovenia did so a week later, prompting retaliatory measures from Israel.

They have been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s ruthless attacks since October 7, 2023, which killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

In September, formal diplomatic relations were established between Ireland and the State of Palestine.

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 the protection of diplomatic personnel.

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 before the end of the year in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the PA news agency reported, with headquarters in London.

Micheal Martin also highlighted the country’s commitment to a strict interpretation of the Genocide Convention, as well as the “detailed and rigorous legal analysis” the government carried out in its decision to intervene in the case.

Ireland has repeatedly stated that it would submit an intervention statement to the ICJ once South Africa submitted its memorial in the case, which it did last Monday.

“Ireland strongly supports the work of the court and is deeply committed to international law and accountability,” Martin said.

The motion called on the government to impose trade, travel and diplomatic sanctions on Israel, and the parliamentary debate was framed by its failure to pass a previous bill that would have imposed trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in Palestine, during the mandate of the current legislature.

Following an advisory opinion from the UN 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 on the bill.

Martin claimed the ICJ opinion has altered the legal context of the bill, but said the EU had exclusive authority to take legal action on trade matters relating to its member states, which include Ireland.

“The government’s analysis is that substantial amendments will be needed to most, if not all, of the provisions of the bill to try to bring it into line with EU law and our own constitution, while banning imports from the territories busy,” he added.

The motion also called on the government to immediately suspend all military trade with Israel, stop dual-use licenses to Israel and ban the use of Irish airspace and airports for arms transfers to Israel.

Martin stated that there were no military exports from Ireland to Israel and emphasized that the Irish government regulates the export of dual-use items in accordance with international guidelines.