Ireland's parliament has passed a motion describing Israeli settlements and other policies in Judea and Samaria as "de facto annexation'' – some of the strongest language ever offered by a European Union nation on the issue.
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The motion passed Wednesday by the Dail, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, condemned the "recent and ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the occupied Palestinian territory." Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the motion conveys Ireland's concern that Israel's actions are undermining prospects for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"We need to speak the truth,'' Coveney tweeted Thursday. "The scale, pace & strategic nature of Israel's actions on settlements, demolitions & evictions is de facto annexation.''
The Foreign Ministry rejected what it described as Ireland's "outrageous and baseless" position on Israeli settlements. It said the parliamentary motion "constitutes a victory for extremist Palestinian factions."
Irish lawmakers approved the motion less than a week after Israel and Hamas agreed to an informal ceasefire ending an 11-day escalation of violence.
