Minister for European Affairs Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has said Ireland recognised the State of Palestine to help move forward with the self-determination of the Palestinian people.

"Ireland today recognises the State of Palestine, which it has said it would do for a very long period.

"We had always hoped that it would be in the course of a negotiated solution, a negotiated political solution," she said.

Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Ms MacNeill stressed that Ireland recognised Israel as a "Jewish state and as a legitimate state".

"It also recognises or will from next week recognise the State of Palestine. The people's right to self-determination there and the right of two states together to sit down and at the moment what we are saying is the 1967 borders, but of course, two equal states negotiating together might agree something different," she added.

The minister added it is a genuine effort to give momentum to a political process as opposed to the "appalling situation that we are seeing in the Middle East at the moment".