Ireland Denounces Hamas Missiles Also Urges Israel To Stop Annexation Of Palestinian Land

JAKARTA - The Irish government on Tuesday, May 26, backed a parliamentary motion condemning the "de facto annexation" of Palestinian land by israeli authorities.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, who has represented Ireland at the United Nations Security Council (UN) supported the motion.

That stance was conveyed at debates about Israel in recent weeks. He also condemned what he described as Israel's "manifestly unequal" treatment of the Palestinian people.

But Coveney also insisted on affirming condemnation of the recent rocket attacks in Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

That stance had been echoed before agreeing to the government's support for the motion, which had been put forward by the opposition Sinn Fein party.

"The scale, speed, and strategic nature of Israel's actions on settlement expansion and the intent behind it have brought us to the point where we have to be honest about what is really happening on the ground... This is a de facto annexation," Coveney told parliament.

"We were the first EU country to do so. But it reflects the great concern we have about the intent of the action and of course, its impact," he said.

Most countries view Israeli-built settlements in territories captured in the 1967 Middle East war as illegal and as a barrier to peace with the Palestinians. The United States and Israel dispute this.

Israel cites historical and biblical links to the West Bank and about 450,000 of its settlers live there, among 3 million Palestinians. Israel also denies any systematic violations of Palestinian human rights.

The motion comes days after a ceasefire ended 11 days of the worst fighting between Palestinian and Israeli militants in years. The violence sparked large pro-Palestinian protests in Dublin.

Sinn Fein refused to support a government amendment condemning the Hamas attacks. Acts of terror by Hamas and other militant groups in firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel... It can't be justified," Coveney said.