Taoiseach, Prime Minister of Ireland Simon Harris speaks to reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/TNS)
A White House meeting to celebrate a century of relations between the United States and Ireland turned to concerns about the conflict in the Middle East, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said of his conversation with President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
Harris described the meeting as “very good” and that Biden had briefed him on his call earlier Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden, Harris told reporters afterward, “left me in no doubt that this was a conversation of substance and of depth in terms of actions that Israel needs to take in terms of aid, humanitarian aid, in terms of bringing about a cease-fire.”
The meeting, which lasted an hour, marked the second visit to the White House by an Irish prime minister, or taoiseach, this year. Harris’ predecessor, Leo Varadkar, came in March for St. Patrick’s Day.
In 1924, the U.S. recognized the Irish Free State’s independence from the United Kingdom.
Harris said that he reiterated the “Irish view” of the conflict in Gaza with Biden: “All countries should be doing everything within their capacity to stop the violence, of course in relation to the U.S. that does involve the issue of arming and providing arms and munitions.”
The two leaders also discussed Northern Ireland and what Harris described as a “reset” in Anglo-Irish relations and the Legacy Act, the British law that limits prosecution for killings that occurred during the decadeslong conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles. The UK’s new Labour government has committed to repealing the law, King Charles III said in his speech to Parliament in July.
Harris said that he had thanked Biden for his assistance Monday when the two spoke by phone in relation to Israeli military units taking up position about 100 meters (328 feet) from an Irish-manned United Nations post in southern Lebanon. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that the units had withdrawn.
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