Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill says Trump’s comment on the mass expulsion of Palestinians is ‘something I cannot ignore’.

Sinn Fein leaders say they will not attend St Patrick’s Day events at the White House in protest over United States President Donald Trump’s position on Gaza.

“We are all heartbroken as we witness the suffering of the Palestinian people and the recent comments of the US president around the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza, is something I cannot ignore,” Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said at a news conference in Dublin on Friday.

“The decision not to travel to the White House has not been taken lightly, but it is taken conscious of the responsibility each of us as individuals have to call out injustice.”

Sinn Fein party leader Mary Lou McDonald also addressed the news conference, saying she could not visit Washington “while there was a threat of mass expulsion hanging over the Palestinian people”.

Political leaders from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland usually travel to the US for the annual celebration of Ireland’s national day on March 17.

Trump triggered global outrage earlier this month when he proposed that the US would take over control of the Gaza Strip and permanently move its Palestinian inhabitants elsewhere.

Sinn Fein’s decision not to visit places pressure on Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who is expected to go ahead with meeting Trump at the White House, but has yet to be formally invited.

Ireland has been a vocal critic of Israel’s conduct during the conflict in Gaza and one of the staunchest defenders of the Palestinian cause within the European Union.

Trump appeared to have softened his stance on Friday, saying he would “recommend” his plan for Gaza rather than impose it.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies