Tralee’s courage praised by Palestinian twin town

NEXT March a delegation from Beit Sahour near Bethlehem in Palestine will visit Tralee to sign an historic twinning between the two towns.

Once it is signed the planned twinning arrangement – which has been in the works for several months – will be the first time an Irish town will be twinned with a town in Palestine.

Last June, councillors on Kerry County Council backed a motion from Sinn Féin Cllr Pa Daly proposing the twinning deal, which passed unopposed. It was subsequently approved by members of the Tralee Municipal District Council.

Since then, both sides have been engaged in negotiations over how best to formalise the future relationship between the two towns.

Ahead of the Palestinian delgation’s visit, Beit Sahour’s Mayor Jehad Khair wrote to Mayor of Tralee Graham Spring and the members of the Tralee MD Council to thank them.

“At this point, we deeply thank you for your courageous stand with the Palestinian Nation and for your kindness and your quest for peace,” he wrote.

Mayor Khair wrote that it is an “honour as a municipality to open another international door with the remarkable city of Tralee in the great Republic of Ireland”.

“We look forward to establishing and building fruitful future relations and cooperation that will serve both our nations and activate the role of young people in both our communities through many programs and action plans,” Mayor Khair wrote.

After his motion was backed by the council, Cllr Daly said that Tralee and Beit Sahour “have a lot to learn from each other, and the twinning can break down barriers and help share experiences”.