Nancy Pelosi: Differing views on Gaza won't harm Irish-US relations
The Irish-US relationship will not be harmed by the two countries’ differing views on the war on Gaza, Nancy Pelosi has said.
The former speaker of the House of Representatives is in Ireland to receive the Sutherland Leadership Award at University College Dublin. She spoke to journalists at the US Ambassador's Residence in the Phoenix Park on Monday, and said Ireland and America’s divergence over Israel’s war on Gaza was not “central” to the “basis” of their relationship.
The US has been slow to criticise Israeli actions and over the weekend approved $17bn in military aid to the country. In contrast, Ireland has been a vocal critic of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and its continued bombardment of Gaza, which has seen over 34,000 people killed.
Ms Pelosi, however, said the differences would not harm relations between the two countries.
“I think that friendship has a number of things with it — candour, to be straightforward about where people are ... and being respectful of any differences,” she said.
“And I think that with any country, the basis for our relationship is what is important and the differences of opinion we may have is not central to that.
“Sometimes having a difference of opinion and how we deal with it strengthens the relationship, so I think we have a strong enough basis to deal with that. We all have a concern about what’s happening in Gaza and the civilian casualties...so it’s sort of a spectrum I have where people are on it,” Ms Pelosi said.
Ms Pelosi, who does not have Irish grandparents but “has three Irish grandchildren”, was asked whether she would like to see a united Ireland in her lifetime.
“Well, that’s a question for Ireland,” she said.
“As a schoolgirl in America, I would have thought that that was a great idea and why not do that? So I carry that with me.
“What would be important about [that path] is how you arrive at it and I think it’s an exciting idea, but it’s up to the Irish to decide that.” Ms Pelosi also said that Donald Trump “cannot win” November’s presidential election.
“Nothing less is at stake than our democracy and my view, civilisation as we know it today.”
