Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Every individual visa application has to be considered on its merit. This country will continue to apply rules in relation to migration and the issuing of visas. The Department of justice will continue to robustly apply rules, particularly when it involves minors and minors travelling without their parents and accompanied by other adults. I will not get into the individual application beyond saying an appeals process is in place. The documentation we require as a State is something we take very seriously.

On 28 May, we marked one year since Ireland announced that it would recognise the State of Palestine. Ireland, together with Spain and Norway, took that decision as an expression of our view that Palestine holds, and should be able to vindicate, the full rights of a state. That made the Palestinian representative a full ambassador in due course. It was a very important moment and the first time we have had an ambassador from Palestine in Ireland. In my capacity as the then Taoiseach, I was delighted to welcome for the first time a Palestinian ambassador to the Taoiseach’s office on 6 June 2024.

Since the announcement of Ireland's decision to recognise Palestine, an exchange of diplomatic notes confirming the establishment of full diplomatic relations was completed on 29 September 2024 and that enabled the Palestinian ambassador to presented her credentials as Palestine's first ambassador to Ireland in December.

Ireland's representative office to the Palestinian Authority maintains close and regular contact with the Palestinian authorities, and senior officials in my Department are also in regular contact with the ambassador and other officials at the embassy of the State of Palestine.

Much of my engagement with the Palestinian authority is at political level with my direct counterparts. I have met and spoken to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Mustafa. I keep in contact with them and other interlocutors of the Palestinian Authority.

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