Ireland intends to recognize a Palestinian state

Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin announced Tuesday in Dublin that his country intends to move to recognize a Palestinian state in the coming weeks.

Martin said he would submit a formal proposal to the government on recognition of a Palestinian state with the conclusion of “broader international discussions”.

He added in a speech before the Irish Parliament, “None of you has any doubt that recognition of a Palestinian state will happen”.

He pointed out that postponing recognition “is no longer convincing or defensible”.

Martin later told the local news site The Journal that a formal proposal would be submitted “in the next couple of weeks”.

He said that during the past six months he had held discussions on the matter with other countries participating in peace initiatives.

Last month, the leaders of Spain, Ireland, Slovakia and Malta expressed in a joint statement their willingness to recognize a Palestinian state.

Ireland has long said it has no objection in principle to formally recognizing a Palestinian state if this could help the Middle East peace process, but the war in Gaza gave this issue new impetus.

The war broke out on October 7, with Hamas launching an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing 1,170 people, most of them civilians, according to a census conducted by Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli figures.

Also, about 250 people were kidnapped during the attack, 129 of whom are still hostage in Gaza, and 34 of them are believed to have died, according to official Israeli estimates.

Israel launched an intense and devastating military campaign on the Gaza Strip, killing 33,360 people, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.

“I have no doubt that war crimes have been committed, and I strongly condemn the continued bombing of the people of Gaza,” Martin said.

He added that recognizing a state for the Palestinians could be an incentive to help the residents of Gaza and the West Bank and strengthen the Arab Peace Initiative.