Ireland becomes first EU state to reject Israel’s illegal annexation of West Bank

The government of Ireland has arraigned Israel’s illegal settlement expansion and land expropriation policies in the occupied West Bank in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and international law.

According to the media reports, the Foreign Minister of Ireland, Simon Coveney threw his weight behind a parliamentary motion condemning the ‘de facto annexation of Palestinian lands by Israeli authorities.

The Irish FM also condemned Israel’s ‘manifestly unequal’ treatment of the Palestinian people.

Coveney told parliament, ‘The scale, pace and strategic nature of Israel’s actions on settlement expansion and the intent behind it have brought us to a point where we need to be honest about what is actually happening on the ground. It is de facto annexation.’

Meanwhile, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after Israel’s 11-day Gaza bombardment. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington will seek to provide $75m in development and economic assistance to Palestinians.

In addition to this, US also pledged $5.5m in “immediate disaster assistance” for Gaza and about $32m for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Blinken said, ‘The United States will notify Congress of our intention to provide $75m in additional development and economic assistance to the Palestinians in 2021.’