Ireland officially recognised a Palestinian state on Tuesday, the government said in a statement, defying Israel which had condemned the plan.

The government approved the recognition in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

“The Government recognises Palestine as a sovereign and independent state and agreed to establish full diplomatic relations between Dublin and Ramallah,” the statement said.

“An Ambassador of Ireland to the State of Palestine will be appointed along with a full Embassy of Ireland in Ramallah.”

Irish prime minister Simon Harris the move was about keeping hope for peace alive.

“This decision of Ireland is about keeping hope alive. It is about believing that a two-state solution is the only way for Israel and Palestine to live side by side in peace and security,” he said in the statement.

“I again call on Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel to listen to the world and stop the humanitarian catastrophe we are seeing in Gaza.”

(Reuters)