The Irish government decided Tuesday to upgrade the status of the Palestinian diplomatic delegation in Ireland to a mission, a rank below an embassy, a foreign ministry spokeswoman told AFP. "The Palestinian delegation will from now on be known as the Palestinian mission," the spokeswoman said, saying it put Ireland in line with similar decisions announced by fellow EU members France, Spain and Portugal.
France upgraded the Palestinians to the rank of mission in July last year, Spain followed suit in September and Portugal took the decision a month later. Ireland's decision drew an angry response from Israel, which condemned Dublin for a "long-standing biased policy on the Middle East". "This will only strengthen the Palestinians' rejection of any return to direct dialogue and peace negotiations," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP.