Sinn Féin has decided not to attend St.Patrick’s Day events at the White House next month to protest US President Donald Trump’s stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
As a result, Michelle O'Neill, the party’s First Minister in Northern Ireland, will not attend the annual gathering in Washington D.C.
As per BBC, after this, there was increasing pressure on Sinn Féin to clarify its stance.
However, as per the reports, no official invitations have been sent yet.
When Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government is operating, it is tradition for the first and deputy first ministers to travel Washington D.C for St.Patrick’s Day events.
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald expressed her increasing concern over President Trump’s remarks on Gaza.
She expressed that she was horrified by calls for the mass displacement of Palestinians and the permanent takeover of Palestinian land.
"Such an approach is a fundamental breach of international law, is deeply destabilising in the Middle East and a dangerous departure from the UN position of peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis and the right of Palestinians to self-determination," she added.
At a press conference following the announcement, McDonald added that the US is a "valued friend" of Ireland, with strong peace ties and role in the Irish economy.
"I have made a decision not to attend events in the White House this year as a principled stance against the call for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza," she said.
Earlier this month, President Trump suggested that the US could assume control over Gaza and relocate its population elsewhere.
