President Biden on Sunday used the White House’s festive St. Patrick’s Day celebration to acknowledge growing international concern, including the Irish, about the humanitarian situation of Palestinians amid Israel’s military action in Gaza.
“The leader of Thailand and I agree on the urgent need to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and to achieve a ceasefire agreement,” Mr Biden said alongside Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister or Taoiseach, an outspoken critic. of Israel’s war against Hamas in response. until the October 7 terrorist attack. As hundreds of Irish-American leaders and government staff applauded, Mr Biden said a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians was “the only path to lasting peace and security”.
The celebration at the White House, with plenty of green paint, shamrocks and Guinness, is usually a chance for Mr. Biden to break away from speeches about foreign policy and threats to American democracy to celebrate his Irish American heritage. But during his trip to the United States, Mr Varadkar made it clear he would raise his concerns about the war in the Middle East with the US president.
The prime minister was somehow speaking to a domestic audience back in Ireland, which, given its history of resistance to British rule, is one of the most supportive European nations of the Palestinians. Ireland was the first European Union country to call for a Palestinian state and the last to allow the opening of a residential Israeli embassy.
“Mr. President, as you know, the Irish people are deeply troubled by the catastrophe unfolding before our eyes in Gaza, and when I travel the world, leaders often ask me why the Irish people have so much empathy for the Palestinian people,” Mr Varadkar said: “The answer is simple: We see our history in their eyes.”
While Mr Varadkar said he supported the government’s efforts to secure an agreement for a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of the hostages, he also directly denounced Israel’s bombing tactics. While Mr. Biden has struck a more strident tone recently with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, the White House has said there are no plans to leverage military aid to Israel.
“The people of Gaza desperately need food, medicine and shelter, and most of all they need the bombs to stop,” Mr Varadkar said. “This has to stop on both sides, the hostages have come home and humanitarian aid has been allowed in.”
The comments come after Mr Varadkar said Israel had been “blinded by rage” since Hamas killed 1,200 people and captured more than 200 more on October 7. He has also warned that an invasion of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that is now home to 1.5 million displaced Palestinians, would be a violation of international law. The war against Hamas has already led to the deaths of more than 30,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to local health authorities.
The White House also said it does not support an Israeli military operation in Rafah without extensive plans to evacuate displaced Palestinians from the area. Neighboring Egypt has said it will not accept any of the Palestinians.
While expressing concerns about war in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the two leaders found time on Sunday to celebrate the history between their two nations.
Mr Biden, never shy about leaning into his heritage, told the crowd gathered in the East Room how much he appreciated visiting the home of his Irish ancestors last year in Ballina. Those in the crowd, many wearing green and drinking pints with the shape of the White House imprinted on its white foam, listened intently and often cheered at the many references to Ireland.
“The Irish are the only people who miss the future,” Mr Biden said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “We are always looking for the next horizon. This is also a very American trait. Further proof that the bond between Ireland and the United States runs deep.”
