What's happening in Gaza is unconscionable, says Irish PM Harris

euronews (in English)

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris answered Euronews' questions in an exclusive interview, discussing the Israel-Hamas conflict and offering justification for Ireland's decision to recognise Palestine as a state.

Transcript

00:00 The Irish Prime Minister says his country has recognised the state of Palestine alongside

00:05 Spain, Norway and in the coming weeks Slovenia as it's the only credible path to peace and

00:11 security for Israelis and Palestinians.

00:14 Speaking exclusively to Euronews, Taoiseach Simon Harris says Palestinians have a legitimate

00:19 right to statehood and a future defined by success instead of suffering.

00:25 Quite frankly because we must keep the hope, the dream and the destination of a two state

00:30 solution alive at a time when sadly others are working to undermine that.

00:33 Ireland would have much preferred to have done this as part of a peace process.

00:38 Indeed that was what our programme for government had originally intended to do.

00:41 But we can't wait forever.

00:42 It's an awful long time, many decades since the Oslo Accords.

00:46 Now more than ever we need to speak up, speak out about the importance of a two state solution

00:51 because that is ultimately what provides the people of Israel, the people of Palestine

00:56 and the broader region with the stability and the peace that both Israelis and Palestinians

01:00 deserve.

01:01 And when you say others are seeking to undermine it, who are you talking about?

01:03 Well I don't think the Netanyahu government is in any way shape or form committed to the

01:07 delivery of a two state solution.

01:09 We've heard much rhetoric and commentary in relation to that.

01:13 A two state solution had been I think the widespread consensus that had emerged over

01:19 many many years about the need for a two state solution.

01:21 I think in recent weeks, in recent months we have seen very many efforts to kill off

01:25 that hope.

01:26 But also we do need to, we make the decision to recognise Palestine on the merits of the

01:31 decision but I'm also particularly conscious that we make it at a time when there is an

01:35 incredible, unconscionable humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in real time in Gaza.

01:41 A scale of humanitarian catastrophe that I don't think yet we even comprehend and therefore

01:47 it is so important that we empower moderate voices both in Palestine and both in Israel.

01:52 Because there's a lot of rhetoric, there's a lot of intentional misrepresentation of

01:57 what Ireland and others do in recognising Palestine.

02:00 It's not about Hamas.

02:01 We abhor Hamas.

02:02 They're a terrorist organisation.

02:04 They offer nothing to the Palestinian people in terms of a future.

02:08 They are a danger and a threat to Israelis and to the Palestinian people.

02:11 What happened on the 7th of October was a despicable, disgusting terrorist massacre.

02:16 All hostages should be released unconditionally.

02:18 But Irish people know better than most what it's like to have a terrorist organisation

02:22 in many ways hijack your identity.

02:24 Hamas is not Palestine and we're able to differentiate between the two.

02:28 Israel has reacted by recalling for consultations its ambassadors to Ireland and Norway saying

02:33 that the move undermines Israeli security and sovereignty.

02:37 Meanwhile the Palestinian Authority has welcomed the decision saying that it recognises the

02:41 Palestinian right to self-determination and distinct national identity.

02:46 Shona Murray, Euronews, Dublin.

02:48 [SWOOSH]

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