According to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, he will talk about “issues on which we disagree” on his St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House, reports RTE.
Mr. Varadkar will be hosted by US President Joe Biden on Friday, March 15, according to a White House official.
Ireland would be making “a mistake” if it boycotted the event due to US military funding in Israel, the Taoiseach warned the Dáil.
In response to complaints that the visit should not go, People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry made this statement.
Mr. Barry accused US President Joe Biden of “murder” in the enclave and claimed it was inappropriate to offer President Biden a bowl of shamrock and to snap pictures during a situation in Gaza.
In response, the Taoiseach said: “It is an opportunity to speak to leaders in the US on the Hill and also President Biden and Vice President Harris. We’re one of only 200 countries in the world. There are not many countries in the world that are guaranteed a meeting once a year,” reports RTE.
“It would be a big mistake for us to boycott that and to lose that important engagement that occurs every year since the 1980s. But I will use my opportunity both in private in the Oval Office and in public in the White House to make clear how the Irish people feel about the situation in Gaza and how we believe the US needs and ought to adopt an approach that will help to bring about a peace settlement in the region,” he added, reports RTE.
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