Israel’s foreign minister has deepened the country’s rift with the Republic of Ireland by calling Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Simon Harris “antisemitic”.
This comes after Israel’s decision to close its embassy in Dublin.
The Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, reported that Gideon Saar, in a statement, expressed Ireland’s support for measures against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICJ).
“Last night, the conservative Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said in an interview that ‘Ireland is not against Israel but Ireland is absolutely against child hunger’,” Saar said.
He asked, “Is Israel dying of hunger?” and he went on to say that his country is working for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
A spokesman for the taoiseach said on Monday evening that Harris “will not respond to personal and false attacks”.
They added that he “remains focused on the appalling crimes committed in Gaza, stands up for human rights and international law and reflects the views of many people in Ireland who are deeply concerned about the loss of innocent people, innocent lives”.
‘Tough decision’
Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ earlier on Monday, Israel’s ambassador to Ireland said closing the embassy was a “difficult decision” for his country to make.
Dana Erlich went on to say that Ireland has taken a “more extreme stance than any other country” against Israel.
Simon Harris said he does not regret the Irish government’s intervention in the ICJ case regarding Israel.
Simon Harris said he was “very proud of Ireland’s decision” [PA Media]
Ireland has previously expressed its support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel at the ICJ, saying it will ask the court to “broaden its interpretation of what the government’s genocide commission says”.
Harris also denied that Ireland is against Israel.
However, speaking on RTÉ News at One, Erlich said of Ireland’s request to the ICJ: “This is an abuse of the international system by South Africa, we were sad to see Ireland join, but this is a combination of measures, propaganda. and initiatives that we have seen Ireland try to promote this past year.
“Unfortunately in the last year we have seen Ireland put itself in a strange position that no other country has put itself in.”
“In many countries we have difficult discussions and disagreements – we welcome criticism, but this has extended to Ireland.
“We see Ireland in a worse situation than any other country.”
Erlich said he has heard concerns from the Jewish and Israeli communities in Ireland.
“We direct that concern to the Irish government, the government that has to make sure that they are safe, that there is a future for the Jewish community in Ireland,” he said.
“These guarantees need to be made.”
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said the Irish government must “stick” to its position [PA Media]
The taoiseach said his “priority is to highlight what is happening in the Middle East and we must not allow anything to distract from what is happening”.
He said that although he regretted the action of the Israeli government regarding the closure of the embassy, he emphasized the importance of diplomatic relations and that Ireland will continue to communicate with Israel.
“I am very proud of the decision Ireland has taken, we are human rights workers and international law,” he added.
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said the Irish government must “stick” to its position on Israel and Gaza.
McDonald described Israel’s action regarding the embassy in Dublin as an attempt to test the will of the Irish government.
“We need to work with others to bring as much pressure as possible to the game [Benjamin] Netanyahu,” he said.
Israel has said it will close its Dublin embassy after accusing Ireland of “crossing all the red lines” [PA]
‘Symbolic contribution’
The chairman of the Jewish Representative Council in Ireland has said he is “deeply concerned” about the deterioration of relations between Ireland and Israel.
Chairman Maurice Cohen said the closure of the Israeli embassy had caused grief for Israelis in Ireland.
He said the Irish government’s intervention in the ICJ risks “simplifying a very complex and tragic conflict, unfairly isolating Israel, and undermining the integrity of the term ‘genocide’.”
Mr Cohen said that for the Jewish community in Ireland, “the closure of the embassy represents not only a symbolic blow but also a terrible one”.
“The consular services provided by the embassy are important for those who maintain ties to family, culture and heritage in Israel,” he added.
“Losing this resource will leave many feeling unsupported and sad.
“Closing the embassy risks alienating a significant part of Irish society and sends the message that dialogue is being replaced by non-alignment.”
He said the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland reaffirmed its commitment to peace and the protection of innocent lives “on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, while also supporting Israel’s right to defend itself from “terrorism and existential threats”.
Mr Cohen urged the Irish and Israeli governments to find ways to rebuild trust and ensure that the channels of communication remain open.
‘Anger after anger’
Daniel Epstein-O’Dowd, of the Ireland Israel Alliance, told BBC News NI that it was a “predictable” decision by Israel to close the embassy in Dublin and that “on the 7th of October there was just outrage after outrage from the Irish government.”.
He said it was “a very symbolic move by Israel and shows that they ultimately see no benefit in maintaining any diplomatic presence” in the Republic of Ireland.
“There are a lot of Israelis in the tech industry here in Dublin who are a little isolated and isolated frankly, they feel that the Israeli ambassador was very much there for them, especially in the dark days after October 7th, the ambassador really stood out in the sense of that community,” he added.
“So I guess it’s a wonder where they’re going to go next?
“I don’t think those details have been released, but I think eventually it will be somewhere other than Ireland, it’s a very sad day for anyone in Ireland or Israel.”
Tánaiste (deputy prime minister of Ireland) Micheál Martin said there are no plans to close the embassy in Israel.
On October 7 last year, Hamas attacked southern Israel killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 people.
In retaliation, Israel launched a major operation inside the Gaza Strip with the stated goal of eliminating Hamas.
So far, at least 44,875 people have been killed and more than 100,000 injured – most of them civilians, the Hamas-run health ministry said. The UN considers these figures to be reliable.
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