For many years, Sinn Féin and other left-wing organisations in Ireland have made calls for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Ireland (normally during periods of heightened tensions in the Middle East) but this has always been resisted by the Irish government. Israel however has resolved the issue by withdrawing its ambassador (who was recalled to Israel for ‘consultations’ earlier this year, a diplomatic way of one country expressing deep displeasure to another). The root cause of the current tension between the Israeli and Irish governments is the Irish government’s reaction to Israel’s current actions in Gaza.
As RTÉ reports
“Israel will close its embassy in Dublin in light of “the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said in a statement…
“Last week, Ireland announced its support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of ‘genocide’,” it added.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has criticised the decision on X, saying (please note the following has been translated by software from Hebrew)
“The decision to close the Israeli embassy in Ireland is a victory for anti-Semitism and anti-Israel organizations. The way to deal with criticism is not to run away, but to stay and fight!”
The Irish government has also expressed it’s disappointment regarding Israel’s decision, with Taoiseach Simon Harris saying on X
“This is a deeply regrettable decision from the Netanyahu government. I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-International law.”
According to RTÉ, Tanaisté, foreign minister and future Taoiseach Michéal Martin has said that there are no plans to close the Irish embassy in Israel, saying
“I believe firmly in the importance of maintaining diplomatic channels of communication and regret that this decision has been taken.”
The Jewish Council of Ireland has expressed its concern at the development, with their chairperson Maurice Cohen saying that Ireland’s intervention in the ongoing case at the International Court of Justice risks “oversimplifying a highly complex and tragic conflict, unfairly isolating Israel, and undermining the integrity of the term ‘genocide'”.
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