Israeli Ambassador claims Government plan to recognise Palestinian state is giving ‘a dangerous signal to Hamas’

The Israeli Ambassador to Ireland has said now was not the time to recognise the Palestinian state and that the recognition would not help the Palestinian people.

The comments come as Taoiseach Simon Harris is to meet with the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez this afternoon where it is believed the recognition of the Palestinian state will be discussed. Both governments have indicated they will move towards the formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

“We don’t think this is the right time for such recognition. We ask why reward terrorism?” Ms Dana Elrich told The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk.

“This is giving a very dangerous signal to Hamas and other terror organisations, but also my question is, what are they going to recognise? Is it going to be a three state solution? Who will control Gaza?,” she added.

Asked if Ms Elrich had received correspondence from the Irish government about what exactly they planned to recognise, the ambassador said they had not yet received confirmation of that.

“They have not shared it yet. We are in ongoing conversations. It is part of our diplomatic open channels that we maintain,” she said.

Ms Elrich said she had a number of questions including the timing of the recognition of the state.

“My question is what will it look like and why now? We do not think that it will benefit the Palestinian people. Any enforced solution from a third party will not be helpful.

“I know a lot of people here draw comparisons with the situation in Ireland. Just imagine if the international community would have enforced a solution on you,” she added.

“Right now, the situation during a war against a genocidal terror organisation that does not want co-existence, it does not want peace.

“To mix this current war with a possible solution of a Palestinian state, this is not the time to do it,” she said.

Over 33,000 people are believed to have died in Gaza since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7 last year, more than two-thirds of whom are civilians.

Ms Erlich claimed Israel is going “above and beyond” to ensure fewer civilians are hurt. Israel continues its war in Gaza despite the UN security council passing a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan. Resolution 2728 also calls for the immediate release of Israeli hostages in Gaza and for ensuring humanitarian access to Gaza.

“When we talk about proportionality, that is another legal term that needs be revised. So we are using a legal term based on international law and the rules of war and we are abiding by the international law.

“We know that Hamas in a very cynical way is embedded in its civilian population and we are doing above and beyond in order to make sure less and less civilians are hurt,” she said.

Ms Elrich also rejected that there was a famine happening in Gaza and said there was no limit to the amount of aid going into the area.

“There is no famine in Gaza. There is a certain crisis because of distribution and we need to be very clear with that. There is no limit to the amount of aid that goes in to Gaza. There is no limit to the amount of aid that can go in,” she said.

Distribution of aid within Gaza, as well as getting aid into the besieged enclave, has been severely hindered by the widespread bombing by Israeli forces, and the killing of aid workers attempting to feed the displaced population.

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