Biden to meet Irish PM amid anger over war in Gaza

US President Joe Biden will host Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Friday for the annual St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House, even as a portion of the usual Irish delegation boycotts the event over Biden's handling of the war in Gaza.

During a speech in Boston on Tuesday, Varadkar said he will use the opportunity to tell Biden "how Irish people feel, and that is that we want to see a ceasefire immediately, for the killing to stop, the hostages to be released without condition, food and medicine to get into Gaza."

Ireland has traditionally been one of Western Europe's strongest critics of Israeli policies towards Palestinians and maintains a long-held policy of military neutrality.

The SDLP, Northern Ireland's smaller nationalist party, said it was not sending any representatives to Washington this week.

Last month, Ireland announced more than $21 million in support for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) after it plunged into crisis and is in talks with other EU members who want a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis that Israel may be breaching the agreement's human rights clause.





Reuters