The new Irish prime minister will meet his Spanish counterpart to discuss their joint plan to recognise Palestine as a nation state and attempts to get the EU to assess Israel’s human rights commitments as a condition of a trade deal with the bloc, The Guardian reports.
Pedro Sánchez, who is due to arrive in Dublin on Friday, will be the first foreign prime minister Simon Harris will meet since taking over as taoiseach this week.
Harris said in Brussels on Thursday that during his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen he had made clear Ireland’s position on the need for an immediate ceasefire. He also reiterated a formal request made two months ago with Spain to renegotiate the Israel-EU association agreement. Harris said:
“I believe the European Union must use all of the levers at its disposal [to protect the Palestinian people].”
Harris, who took office on Tuesday, spoke of Hamas’ “inexcusable terrorist actions on 7 October” as well as the Israeli government’s “disproportionate response.”
But Israel’s foreign ministry criticised him in a statement issued on Thursday for failing to mention the hostages still being held by Hamas.
The statement said Ireland also “plans to award further rewards to terrorism” by intervening in a case brought by South Africa in an international court accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and “possible future recognition of a Palestinian state”. The statement added, alluding to the Hamas attacks on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians:
“After the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust … there are those in Ireland who persist on being on the wrong side of history.”
Since then, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 33,500 people, mostly civilians, and created an acute humanitarian crisis.
Spain and Ireland had written to the head of the European Commission asking for an “urgent verification” of Israel’s compliance with its human rights obligations. Neither country has yet received a response, reflecting the sensitivity of the issue.
On Thursday, Harris said Sánchez was a welcome guest to Dublin. He said:
“He’ll be the first head of government that I will welcome to government buildings, and I look forward to having the opportunity to discussing with Pedro the issue of the recognition of the state of Palestine and broader matters, including that letter.”
According to Harris, von der Leyen said there was an opportunity at the next summit of EU foreign ministers to “discuss and address these issues,” indicating that work on the review was already underway.
“This is not about anything other than ensuring that international human rights law is respected. And that it is followed,” Harris said.
