Ireland and Spain 'will recognise Palestine as a state this summer'

Taoiseach: 'The only way forward [in Israel and Palestine] is for a political peace process that brings about a two-state solution'

Taoiseach Simon Harris says he and Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez want to move forward on recognition of Palestine 'with as many other countries as possible'. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Ireland is set to recognise the Palestinian state this summer, with Taoiseach Simon Harris saying that the point at which it can be done is "coming much closer".

Mr Harris met on Friday with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, with the two indicating that Ireland and Spain would announce recognition of Palestine in lockstep. 

Multiple government sources said that Irish recognition was likely to come in or around June, a timeframe which Mr Sánchez has previously outlined to his parliament.

The two leaders will both be at next week's European Council meeting in Brussels, where they will speak to other nations about joint recognition of a Palestinian state, but there is no expectation that all 27 EU states will agree on such a move. 

One source said that some countries are "close" to joining the Irish and Spanish efforts.

At Government Buildings following his 30 minute meeting with Mr Sánchez, Mr Harris said the two had discussed the conditions under which Ireland would recognise Palestine.

“That point is coming much closer and we would like to move together. The people of Palestine have long sought the dignity of their own country and sovereignty.

“When we move forward, we would like to do so with as many others as possible,” he said.

While over 70% of UN nations recognise Palestine, the West largely does not, meaning that Ireland and Spain would become outliers in Europe with the move. 

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez with Taoiseach Simon Harris in Government Buildings during his visit to Dublin on Friday. Picture: Paul Faith/PA

However, Mr Harris rejected the idea that doing so would reward Hamas for the October 7 attacks.

“It’s entirely possible to call out the horrors that the State of Israel suffered at the hands of Hamas while also saying that there must be an immediate cessation of violence — that the scenes that we’re seeing in Gaza in terms of hunger, thirst, mutilation, death of innocent children, women, men, the destruction of so much civilian infrastructure, hospitals, schools… that has to stop." He added:   

The only way forward here is for a political peace process that brings about a two-state solution. 

At the joint press conference, Mr Sánchez said both leaders believed that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "no clear peace plan".

"We both believe that the situation in the Gaza strip is terrible and it doesn’t look like it’s getting better. 

"Therefore we believe that the international community and countries like Spain and Ireland must be involved and seek to bring solutions to this terrible situation."

At the Fianna Fáil ard fheis, Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the Israeli ambassador's statement that recognising the Palestinian state would be akin to rewarding terrorism as "absurd and unacceptable".