Ireland Recognizes Palestine as a State

On Tuesday, the Irish Government called on the international community to support the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to advance its reform and service delivery efforts.

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Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin made the call after his country formalized the recognition of Palestine as a state.

"In recent days, I have held substantive discussions on the way forward with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa, and have collaborated with European and Arab partners to move towards peace," he said.

Martin pledged to continue working closely with the ANP to create a political solution to stop "a horrible conflict and humanitarian disaster."

The Irish PM believes that this process will guarantee "the release of all hostages" and "will realize the vision of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State existing alongside Israel in peace and security."

With today's recognition of Palestine as a State, Martin confirmed that his Government will elevate the status of the Palestinian Mission in Ireland to that of an embassy and will authorize the appointment of an ambassador in Dublin.

"Our decision also authorizes the conversion of the current Irish Representative Office in Ramallah into an embassy," he said.