Ireland’s Tánaiste, Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris, backed his government’s stance Thursday that Israel is committing genocide in its war on Gaza, becoming the first European Union leader to use the term.

“We are the first government in the European Union to say what Israel is doing is genocide,” Harris said during a tense exchange in parliament with independent opposition lawmaker Catherine Connolly. “It is genocide.”

The remarks were first reported by Irish state broadcaster RTE, in which both Harris and Connolly expressed grave concern over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

“A new Nakba is happening under our very eyes and noses,” Connolly said, referring to the 1948 displacement of Palestinians upo the establishment of the State of Israel. “We’ve bought into the narrative that Israel is the only democracy, the bulwark against Islamic religions and Muslims, and we have all brought into that to a certain extent. The Hamas attack happened on October 7, which we are on record as condemning. I also said that history didn’t start on that day.”

Harris responded by acknowledging her frustration, describing Israel’s war as “the genocidal activity of the Netanyahu government,” adding, “We’re all appalled by the genocide we’re witnessing.”

Connolly called for stronger action by the Irish government, describing the EU and the United States as “morally corrupt and inept,” and referred to the US-Israel relationship as an “umbilical cord” of arms treaties.

“It’s time we led,” she continued. “Call out the narrative for what it is. Israel is a rogue state; it is not a democratic state,” she said. “Stand up, stand up and account for what you’re going to do.”

Connolly also criticized delays in passing the Occupied Territories Bill, first introduced in 2018, which seeks to ban trade with Israeli entities operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, according to The Irish Times. 

Earlier this month, Ireland’s Attorney General Rossa Fanning approved the bill to proceed legally, but final deliberations are expected to conclude by July.

While supporters have pushed for the bill to ban both goods and trade in services, the current draft only bans imports. Harris said Saturday he does not believe a broader ban is legal under EU law, but added he is “open” to reconsidering.

Ireland has long been among the most pro-Palestinian nations in the European Union. In 1980, it was the first EU member to call for an independent Palestinian state. 

In 2024, Ireland officially recognized the State of Palestine alongside Spain and Norway and joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.