Ireland became the first EU state to accuse Israel of ‘de facto annexation’ after a Sinn Féin motion passed through the Dáil last night.
Israel has said it “outright rejects” a declaration by Dáil Éireann that it is guilty of ‘de facto annexation’ by building settlements in Palestinian territory.
The motion condemned the “recent and ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the occupied Palestinian territory”, and claimed the annexation of such territory violates international law.
An Israeli spokesman said the contention made by a majority of TDs was “outrageous and baseless”, reflecting a “blatantly one-sided and simplistic policy” that amounted to a “victory for extremist Palestinian factions.”
The Dáil, which rejected an amendment to the motion by 41 votes, did however vote against People Before Profit motions calling for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled and a raft of sanctions to be imposed on “the Israeli apartheid system”.
Israel said Irish politicians had issued “unacceptable anti-Israel statements” leading up the vote, as “citizens of Israel were being subject to terror attacks by the more than 4,000 rockets that were launched from the Gaza Strip by the Hamas terrorist organization.”
“The motion distances Ireland from its ambition to contribute and play a constructive role in the Israeli-Palestinian context,” Israeli foreign affairs spokesman Lior Haiat tweeted.
Supporting the Sinn Féin motion, Minister Simon Coveney had told the Dáil on Tuesday that Ireland needed to “be honest with what is happening on the ground and call it out” as “de facto annexation”, with Cabinet colleagues insisting any declaration admit violence occurs on “all sides of the conflict”.
Minister Coveney added that it was “deeply troubling” Sinn Féin had failed to condemn Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, with the party eventually accepting an amendment to condemn killings by both sides.
240 Palestinians and 10 Israelis were killed in the most recent violence, with a ceasefire eventually agreed after eleven days of attacks.
The Dáil has spoken with one voice. Ireland is now the 1st EU country to state Israel has de-facto annexed Palestinian lands and their actions break international law.
There must be consequences for these actions. #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/vPcCiOQ0CS
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) May 26, 2021