Ireland–Palestine relations are the bilateral and historical relations between Ireland and the State of Palestine.^[1] In 2000, Ireland established a representative office in Ramallah and Palestine has a representative office in Dublin.^[2] Both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.

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Ireland–Palestine relations

Ireland	Palestine
Diplomatic mission
Mission of Palestine, Dublin	Representative Office of Ireland, Ramallah

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By the late 1960s, Ireland was increasingly concerned about the fate of Palestinian refugees who fled the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1969, Irish Foreign Minister Frank Aiken described the problem as the "main and most pressing objective" of Ireland's Middle East policy.^[3] In 2024, Jane Ohlmeyer, a history professor at Trinity College Dublin, said: "There can be a tendency — and we see this, for example, in the street murals in Belfast — to see the conflict through the prism of Northern Ireland, where republican nationalists sympathize with Palestine and loyalists, unionists with Israel".^[4]

In 1980, Ireland was the first European Union member state to endorse the establishment of a Palestinian state.^[5]

In 1999 Taoiseach Bertie Ahern went on a two day trip to Gaza where he met with Yasser Arafat and visited the Jabaliya refugee camp. He became the first leader of a nation to fly from Palestine to their home country.^[6]

In January 2011, Ireland accorded the Palestinian delegation in Dublin diplomatic status.^[7] A few months later, their Foreign Affairs Minister stated that Ireland would "lead the charge" in recognizing Palestinian statehood, but that it would not come until the PNA was in full and sole control over its territories.^[8] In October 2014, the Upper House of the Irish Parliament unanimously passed a motion calling on the Government to recognize the State of Palestine.^[9] In December 2014, the Lower House of Ireland's Parliament followed suit.^[10]

Despite strong support for Palestine in Ireland,^[5] the government has yet to implement the 2014 decision to formalise diplomatic relations between the two, although Foreign Minister Simon Coveney had previously indicated this could change.^[11] Although both houses of the Irish parliament passed the motion to recognise the State of Palestine, the Government wishes to do this as part of a wider EU move, which has been criticised by Irish TDs. As of 2024, Ireland does not recognise the State of Palestine,^[12] but on April 10, 2024, Irish foreign minister Micheál Martin told The Journal that Ireland will move to recognize a Palestinian state in "the next couple of weeks."^[13]

With America being seen as a staunch ally of Israel in the Israel–Hamas war, the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has acknowledged a "differences of opinions in relation [between the US and Ireland] to Israel and Gaza", particularly regarding the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.^[14]

• Foreign relations of Ireland
• Foreign relations of Palestine