Sinn Féin say they won’t attend US St Patrick’s Day celebrations

When power-sharing is functioning, it’s customized for the primary and deputy first ministers to make the journey to Washington DC.

In a video posted on the social media platform X, McDonald mentioned she had adopted the president’s feedback on Gaza with “rising concern” and had listened in “horror” to requires “mass expulsion of the Palestinian folks from their houses and the everlasting seizure of Palestinian lands”.

“Such an method is a elementary breach of worldwide legislation, is deeply destabilising within the Center East and a harmful departure from the UN place of peace and safety for each Palestinians and Israelis and the precise of Palestinians to self-determination,” she added.

At a press convention following the announcement, McDonald added that the US is a “valued buddy” of Eire, with robust peace ties and function within the Irish economic system.

Nevertheless, the Sinn Féin president mentioned the present US administration is “catastrophically improper” on Palestine.

“I’ve decided to not attend occasions within the White Home this 12 months as a principled stance towards the decision for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian folks from Gaza,” she mentioned.

“The one path to peace and safety is a everlasting ceasefire adopted by a negotiation settlement which ensures peace and safety for each Palestinians and Israelis by means of a simply and sustainable two state answer and that must be the answer of the US.”

McDonald additionally referred to as on Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin to make use of the celebrations as a possibility to mirror the views of the Irish folks in relation to Palestine in assist of Worldwide legislation.

O’Neill mentioned she had spoken to Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly on Friday morning to tell her of the choice.

“It’s completely her name when it comes to what she could determine to do,” she added.

“For me this about taking a principled stand that is a couple of second in time a second in historical past after we will all mirror on what we did and this is a chance to take a stand for the Palestinian folks.”

Final week, SDLP chief Claire Hanna mentioned her occasion would decline an invitation to the White Home over the president’s stance on Gaza.

She instructed NUZTO Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme that she couldn’t “in good conscience” attend as folks have made their hopes and fears for the Palestinian folks clear.

It’s the second 12 months in a row the occasion have mentioned it will flip down an invite to St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Democratic Unionist Celebration (DUP) meeting member David Brooks described the SDLP’s resolution as a “petulant stunt”.