Leaders of Sinn Fein will not travel to the White House to participate in St. Patrick's Day festivities in Washington, D.C. next month, the left-wing political party in Ireland and Northern Ireland said Friday.

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.

In 1995, President Bill Clinton invited Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to the event, which was condemned by the British government. Sinn Féin said this is the first year since the peace agreement that its leaders won’t be traveling to Washington for St. Patrick's Day events.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill says her decision not to travel to Washington DC for the annual festivities is one of principle.

Sinn Fein said it was ‘a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza’.

Michelle O'Neill and Mary Lou McDonald will boycott the event in light of Donald Trump's suggestion that Palestinians should be relocated from Gaza under his "takeover" plan.

Boycotting the St Patrick's Day celebrations in the White House is a big call by Sinn Féin. Such a snub risks damaging long-standing relationships with key political figures in the US. It could also play badly with the wider Irish diaspora, many of whom are big supporters of Donald Trump.

Sinn Fein has defended its decision to boycott Washington DC for St Patrick’s Day amid criticism from political opponents across the island of Ireland. The party’s leadership, which normally travels to the US to mark the occasion every year,