The number of Palestinians who applied for asylum in Ireland increased more than eight-fold last year (more than 700 per cent) when compared with arrival numbers in 2023.
Some 957 Palestinians applied for international protection between January and December 2024, up from 118 applications the previous year, according to figures from the Department of Justice.
Men aged between 18-34 made up 44 per cent of all applications during 2024, while women from the same age-group represented 9 per cent. Some 257 applications (27 per cent) came from children aged under 18.
There are 694 Palestinian asylum seekers living in State-provided accommodation, according to Government data from January. It is understood a significant proportion of the 3,285 men applying for international protection who have not been offered State accommodation are Palestinian.
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Only 19 Palestinians have been granted permission to come here through family reunification since the war began in October 2023.
Data released under Freedom of Information request reveals 11 children and eight adults, all Palestinian, came to Ireland through family reunification since the escalation of violence after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th, 2023. Refugees may apply for a spouse, civil partner or child aged under 18 to join them in Ireland under the 2015 International Protection Act, which is earmarked to be replaced with new legislation by the Government.
Asked whether Palestinian asylum applications were being expedited in light of the destruction caused by war, and continued unrest in the West Bank, a Department of Justice spokesman said the “prioritisation” of certain categories of applications was “kept under ongoing review in consultation with UNHCR”.
For those applying to come here through family reunification, applications are considered on “a case-by-case basis and, wherever possible, they are processed speedily and sympathetically”, he said. A specific humanitarian admission programme for Gaza – similar to the 2014 Syrian admission programme – “does not exist”, he added.
In January, the Government formally intervened in South Africa’s International Court of Justice case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza. When asked if this intervention would strengthen Palestinian asylum claims, a department official said they had nothing further to add.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reached in January following 15 months of fighting. However, the future of this fragile peace agreement remains uncertain, particularly following Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to annex Gaza.
[ Inside Trump’s surprise plan to ‘own’ GazaOpens in new window ]
Palestinian ambassador to Ireland Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid said the Palestinian people would never give up their homeland, adding Israel would “continue to act with impunity” if the international community “continues to delay accountability for their war crimes”.
She was speaking after Israel’s defence minister said Ireland, Spain and Norway are “legally obligated” to take displaced Gaza residents. Israel must recognise Ireland’s sovereignty and respect that “Ireland is for Irish people and Palestine is for Palestinians”, the ambassador said on Thursday.
Zoe Lawlor, chair of the Ireland-Palestine Support Campaign, said Trump’s plan to annex the Gaza Strip amounted to “ethnic cleansing” and should not be taken seriously by world leaders.
Talha AlAli, a psychologist and member of Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine, said Mr Trump’s decision to host Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the White House, despite the arrest warrant hanging over his head, “gives two fingers to every country in the world”.
Last November, the UN-backed International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“It’s shocking there weren’t any immediate consequences on the US for openly saying we want to ethnically cleanse and demolish this site,” said Mr AlAli, who is originally from the West Bank.
“Countries in Europe are happier to please Trump rather than abide by international law and recognise that these are war crimes that Israel is committing.”
He also expressed concern that Mr Trump’s plan for the West Bank, which the US president said he would announce in the next month, was to “annex and give it to Israel”. Mr AlAli said: “It shows we have no value as humans in the eyes of the international law.”
Palestinian human rights lawyer Faten Sourani, who lives in Dublin, said the US president’s comments would “fuel more violence in the West Bank from the settlers and fuel their expansion dream”.
Mr Trump’s description of Gaza as a “demolition site” is a “denial of responsibility” for US involvement in this war, added Ms Sourani.
“The US was funding the war in Gaza, the US is responsible.” European countries also need to acknowledge their responsibility in this conflict, she said. “Netanyahu would not be allowed to stand next to Trump if European countries did their part with the ICC arrest warrant. We’ve reached this point because European leaders have not enforced international law.”
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