Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that Palestinian refugees will not be granted the same level of temporary protection that Ukrainians have seen, arguing that Ukraine is in a “different category” and that Palestine is “different.”
The statement comes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Today with Clare Byrne, Varadkar said that while he believes that the treatment of refugees from Palestinian is “very unfair” globally, he said that the group was “different.”
Asked by Claire Byrne if Palestinian people should be “offered the same protected status as the people who are fleeing Ukraine here in Ireland?”, Varadkar replied: “No, I don’t.”
“I think Ukraine is a different category,” he said.
“It’s a European country, it’s an EU candidate state, and we’ve given us a special recognition by granting temporary protection.”
Notably, Ukraine only has formal EU candidate status as of June last year, and was primarily granted this in response to the Russian invasion.
Varadkar said “Palestine is different” and said that he believes that it would be the responsibility of nearby “Arab countries” to assist refugees, similar to how Ireland has helped Ukraine.
“In the past two years, we’ve accepted over 100,000 people, mostly from Ukraine fleeing the war there,” he said.
“But also another 20,000 or so people fleeing [other areas].”
He added: “We’re very short on accommodation, I think everyone knows that. There is only so much we can do.”
The Taoiseach claimed that Ukraine is “very much in our neighbourhood.”
Yesterday, Tánaiste Micheál Martin announced that Ireland would be sending €13 million in humanitarian aid to help the population of the Gaza Strip, delivered through UN agencies.
“Ireland’s assistance programme to the Palestinians has been in existence since the year 2000,” he said in a statement.
“Our assistance programme this year was to amount to €16 million. That will now almost double following my decision today to allocate a further €13 million in the light of the extensive needs in Gaza.”