The Palestinian flag should fly at Leinster House to acknowledge the Palestinians' right to return, a People Before Profit TD has said.
Bríd Smith, who is running as an MEP candidate in the upcoming European elections, has written to Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl requesting the flag be flown at Leinster House on Nakba Day.
Nakba Day is an annual day of commemoration for Palestinians observed on May 15th.
The Nakba - or 'Catastrophe' - marks the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
The United Nations says the anniversary "puts the spotlight on the world's longest-standing protracted refugee crisis" and is a reminder that the population of over 5.3 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA "continue to live amidst conflict, violence and occupation."
It comes after a number of European Union member states, including Ireland, are reportedly considering May 21st as the date to jointly recognise the State of Palestine.
Deputy Smith told Newstalk Breakfast it would show solidarity with the people of Palestine.
"We wrote to the Ceann Comhairle - I think it's his prerogative to make the decesion - on the 23rd of April and again on the 1st of May asking that the Palestinian flag be flown at Leinster House on the 15th of May," she said.
"Just as the Ukrainian flag has been flying there since 2022 since the Russian invasion.
"I think it's sort of self-explanatory why we're making this request; particularly given the frightening possibility of the onslaught in Rafah".
'Their own Nakba'
Holocaust Awareness Ireland Founder Oliver Sears told the show he believes the argument is one-sided.
"We're talking about the Nakba - something like 750,000 Palestinians are displaced," he said.
"At the same time 850,000 Mizrahi Jews, these are Jews from the east, are kicked out of the neighbouring Arab countries.
"That's their own Nakba and they end up in Israel.
"I have an aunt by marriage from Iraq whose father came to Israel because they were hanging Jews in the squared".
Mr Sears said People Before Profit don't mention this "because it doesn't fit their narrative".
"I don't think we should be playing games, I don't think we should be talking about stunt politics - this is far too serious", he said.
'Anti-Israel State behaviour'
Deputy Smith said it is "far from stunt politics when you're looking at the possibility of a ground invasion in Rafah, where 1.5 million people are now trapped".
"This is not an anti-Semitic argument, this is anti-Israel State behaviour.
"Even [US President] Joe Biden this morning has made statements opposing that and telling the Israeli State they cannot do this."
Deputy Smith said her party are not an outlier and want to "remember the events that have rise to this terrible situation in that country and to acknowledge the Palestinians' right to return".
Since October 7th at least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza; 14,500 have been children and 9,500 women, according to the United Nations.
Another 77,643 have reportedly been injured, of which 75% are estimated to be female.
