Irish Lawmaker: Recognizing Palestine as a State Is Rooted in Our History of Colonization & Famine

Three European nations have announced plans to recognize the State of Palestine, joining 143 other countries around the world in formal recognition. Leaders in Ireland, Norway and Spain cited a desire to support a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza as the driving force behind the announcements, while Israel responded by recalling its ambassadors from all three countries. Israel’s Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich called the move a “prize for terrorism.” Catherine Connolly, an independent member of the Irish parliament, rejects Erlich’s characterization, instead calling recognition “a step for peace” and a “direct result of people’s outrage and upset” over Israeli brutality in Palestine. She connects the Palestinian national struggle with Ireland’s own fight for recognition at the League of Nations just over a century ago and its history with famine and colonialism. “Our solidarity is with people who suffer in any way, but particularly from famine,” Connolly says. “Next Tuesday will be historical, when we raise the Palestinian flag on the grounds of our parliament.”