Ireland recognising the State of Palestine is a step that should have been taken decades ago and is the right thing to do, according to the Middle East director of the International Communities Organisation.
“I congratulate Ireland on taking a step that should have been done 30 years ago,” Gershon Baskin said.
He added: “If we want to defeat terrorism, if we want to defeat the extremist groups that attacked Israel on 7 October, then we have to demonstrate to the Palestinian people that there is a political alternative to violence.
“They are fighting for liberation, freedom and dignity.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Mr Baskin said that the controversy over what was said between Taoiseach Simon Harris and Israeli president Isaac Herzog has not been reported in Israel.
Sources close to the Israeli President told RTÉ News on Saturday that Mr Herzog warned Mr Harris that unilateral recognition of Palestine could jeopardise any hope of Hamas releasing the hostages it continues to hold in Gaza and encourage further attacks on Israel.
However, Mr Baskin said that Ireland’s recognition of the State of Palestine would have no immediate impact on negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
“It has zero impact. The gaps between Israel and Hamas right now … are that Hamas has said that they will not accept any agreement and will not release any hostages without an Israeli commitment to end the war,” he said.
Mr Baskin added: “Netanyahu said that he will not accept any deal with Hamas that commits Israel to end the war.
“It has absolutely nothing to do with the question of the recognition of Palestine. It is everything to do with Netanyahu’s determination to continue the war, even if he has to sacrifice the Israeli hostages.”
He outlined that the best way to encourage Palestinians to move away from “armed struggle and violence” was to demonstrate to them that the State of Palestine is “becoming real” and that the two-state solution was possible.
“It should have emerged through dialogue and negotiations. Unfortunately, the two-state solution is back on the table as a result of a horrific war,” he said.
“But it’s there and we can’t ignore it and we have to make it real. And what Ireland is doing is 100% the right thing to do.”
Mr Baskin said that from discussions he has held with Hamas there would appear to be a division in the group between those who see that an independent Palestinian state will be recognised and those who want more.
“I believe that there is a serious debate going on within Hamas today on whether or not achieving a Palestinian state in the occupied territories of 1967 would fulfil their dreams and their goals, and they could move forward in trying to build their state.
“This would be a turning point,” he said.
Mr Baskin added: “We don’t know what the response of Hamas would be yet, and they did change their covenant in 2018 to reflect that they would accept a Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, but at that point, they refused to make mention of whether or not they would.
“In fact, they said they would not recognise Israel and not have any relations with Israel. This might be a turning point, and it needs to be encouraged, and I really believe that this step by Ireland and these other European countries is a step in the direction to helping Hamas change its position.”
