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Almost 90 leading artists, academics and former ambassadors have signed a letter to Taoiseach Enda Kenny urging the Government to formally recognise the state of Palestine.
The letter, whose 89 signatories include former US ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, former SDLP leader John Hume, actor Stephen Rea and musician Christy Moore, says the Government should move towards recognition "without delay". Acting now would strengthen the case for a two-state solution and help to provide parity of status between Palestine and Israel, "which is essential for any lasting peace settlement," the letter states.
The list of signatories includes trade unionists, writers, doctors and actors. Three retired diplomats who served as Ireland's representative to the Palestinian Authority – Niall Holohan, Isolde Moylan and James Carroll – have put their name to the letter, which was delivered to Government Buildings on Monday by Prof John Kelly, former registrar and deputy president of UCD.
The letter points to the political and financial support which successive Irish governments have given the Palestinian people and notes “with pride” that Ireland was the first EU state to call for the creation of a Palestinian state.
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“It is our belief that the principal international legal criteria for the recognition of a Palestinian state have already been met,” the letter states.”We hold that further official recognition of Palestine by EU member states will strengthen the case for acceptance of the two-state solution and will help in particular to provide parity of status between Palestine and Israel which is essential for any lasting peace settlement.”
Momentum
The move comes amid gathering momentum in Ireland and elsewhere for wider recognition of a Palestinian state. Fianna Fáil has said it intends to bring a Dáil motion, which would be almost certain to pass, calling on the Government to proceed with recognition. The Dáil and Seanad adopted separate motions on the issue in 2014.
The programme for government says the minority administration will "honour our commitment to recognise the state of Palestine", and Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has said it is under "active consideration". The official line is that the Government will act when it believes a move on recognition would help kick-start the Middle East peace process, and sources indicate a co-ordinated move among EU states would be the preferred approach.
In February, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel's ambassador to Ireland, Zeev Boker, cabled a warning to the Israeli government that Dublin would soon recognise Palestine as a state. It reported that Mr Boker also proposed working to block the move by asking the US administration of president Donald Trump to put pressure on Ireland, as well as having Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu call Mr Kenny to discuss the issue.
The push towards formal recognition has gained more traction since the election of Mr Trump. The US president rattled Arab and European leaders in February by indicating he was open to a one-state solution, upending a position taken by successive administrations and the international community. In the letter to Mr Kenny, the signatories of the Irish letter refer to the Trump administration, saying it is “regrettable” that the two-state solution has been called into question. “It has become more important than ever therefore that Ireland should now join its name to the list of 137 countries that currently grant formal recognition to the state of Palestine,” they write.
Palestine has non-member observer status at the United Nations and its flag flies with those of member states at UN headquarters in New York. Sweden became the first EU member nation to recognise the Palestinian state in 2014 and has been followed by several others.
Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, parts of which have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war.
Signatories:
Robert Ballagh, Artist
Assistant Professor Ursula Barry, University College Dublin
Pat Bolger, Impact
Pat Boran, Poet
Paul Brady, Singer and Songwriter
Prof Cathal Brugha, University College Dublin
Peter Bunting, Ictu (retired )
Brian Campfield, President, Ictu
Karan Casey, Folk Singer
James Carroll, retired ambassador and Ireland’s former representative to the Palestinian authority
Seamus Cashman, Poet and Publisher
Eamonn Ceannt, former Vice-President, University College Dublin
Shay Cody, General Secretary, Impact
Paul Collins, DJ, Today FM
Dr Catherine Conlon, Trinity College Dublin
Frank Connolly, Head of Communications, Siptu
Mary Coughlan, Singer
Catherine Anne Cullen, Poet
Prof Patrick Cunningham, Trinity College Dublin, and former chief scientific adviser to the Irish government
Prof Fergus D’Arcy, Historian and former Dean of Arts, University College Dublin
Seamus Deane, Prof Emeritus, University of Notre Dame
Padraic de Bhaldraithe, Translator
Finn de Bri, Government employee
Orla de Bri, Sculptor
Liam Doran, General Secretary, INMO
Theo Dorgan, Poet and Publisher
John Douglas, General Secretary, Mandate
Seamus Doyle, President, Musicians Union of Ireland
Dr Vincent Durac, University College Dublin, and visiting professor, Bethlehem University Palestine
Felim Egan, Artist
Dr Nazih Eldin, Medical Physician, HSE
Prof Bryan Fanning, University College Dublin
Dr Sean Farren, Visiting Professor, University of Ulster
Dr Maggie Feeley, University College Dublin
Dr Alice Feldman, University College Dublin
Prof Diarmaid Ferriter, University College Dublin, Historian and Author
Jim Fitzpatrick, Artist
Stevie Fitzpatrick, General President, CWU
Tom Geraghty, General Secretary, PSEU
Prof Robert Gilligan, Trinity College Dublin
Dr Desmond Green, Chair, the Ireland Canada University Foundation
Noirin Greene, AMICUS Regional Officer, Trinity College Dublin
Pat Harris, Artist
Niall Holohan, retired ambassador and Ireland’s former representative to the Palestinian authority
John Hume, Nobel Peace Laureate
Andy Irvine, Singer and Songwriter
Dr Mariya Ivancheva, University College Dublin
Prof Alan Johnson, Nord University, Norway
John Kelly, Prof Emeritus, former Registrar and Deputy President, University College Dublin
Jimmy Kelly, Regional Secretary, Unite
Merlo Kelly, Architect and Lecturer, University College Dublin
Ailbhe Keogan, Screenwriter
Freda King, Irish Equity
Patricia King, General Secretary, Ictu
Michael Laffan, Prof Emeritus, University College Dublin
Fintan Lane, Author and Historian
Donal Lunny, Folk Musician
Joseph Lynch, retired ambassador, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Business Council
Fiach Mac Conghail, former senator, Seanad Éireann
Prof Dermot MacDonald, RCSI, and former Director of the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street
Prof Patrick Masterson, former president, University College Dublin
Prof Dermot McAleese, Political Economy and Pro-Chancellor, Trinity College Dublin
Dr Mary McAuliffe, University College Dublin
John McColgan, Riverdance Producer and Film Director
Patrick McGuckian, former Director, Masstock and Almarai
Pauline McLynn, Actress
Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate
Paula Meehan, Poet
Christy Moore, Singer and Songwriter
Isolde Moylan, retired ambassador and Ireland’s former representative to the Palestinian authority
Dr Anne Mulhall, University College Dublin
Dr Bassam Naser, Family Physician and Medical Lecturer
Dr Jim O’Brien, former Director General, Irish European Union Office
Jack O’Connor, General President, Siptu
Rurai O’Cuiv, Arts administer
Patrick O’ Flynn, former president, Irish Federation of University Teachers
Cormac O’Gråda, Prof Emeritus, University College Dublin
Dr Jacqui O’Riordan, University College Cork
Averil Power, Charity leader and former senator, Seanad Éireann
Dr Aideen Quilty, University College Dublin
Stephen Rea, Actor
Michael Robinson, NIPSA
Eoin Ronayne, General Secretary, CPSU
Maggie Ronayne, National University of Ireland, Galway
Ann Russell, Irish Equity
Dr Fintan Sheerin, Trinity College Dublin
Jean Kennedy Smith, former ambassador of the United States of America to Ireland
Niall Vallely, Traditional Irish Musician
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