Israel will not “silence Ireland” and its criticism of the scale of the war in Gaza, the Irish taoiseach has said after Israel’s decision to close its embassy in Dublin.
Simon Harris said the country had been unequivocal in its support for Israel’s right to defend itself within international humanitarian law and accused Benjamin Netanyahu of using the decision to close its embassy as “the diplomacy of distraction”.
“You know what I think is reprehensible? Killing children, I think that’s reprehensible. You know what I think is reprehensible? Seeing the scale of civilian deaths that we’ve seen in Gaza. You know what I think is reprehensible? People being left to starve and humanitarian aid not flowing,” he told reporters in Dublin on Monday, adding he was extremely proud of Ireland continually speaking out on behalf of innocent Palestinians.
Dana Erlich, the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, told Newstalk radio in Dublin that Israel was “not breaking diplomatic relations” but was “closing the physical embassy” to relocate resources to places that “want more collaboration with Israel”.
But she also protested against what she described as Ireland’s “extreme vilification and policy against Israel”.
Later on Monday, the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar described Ireland’s PM as antisemitic.
“There is a difference between criticism and antisemitism based on the delegitimisation and dehumanisation of Israel and double standards towards Israel,” Sa’ar said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Harris say “he would not be responding to personalised and false attacks”.
The Irish deputy prime minister, Micheál Martin had earlier said Ireland’s position on the war in Gaza “should not be seen as a hostile act”.
Israel ordered the closure on Sunday, citing Ireland’s decision last week to support a petition at the international court of justice accusing Israel of genocide. Sa’ar, said the move was prompted by the Irish government’s “extreme anti-Israeli policies”.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Martin renewed Irish criticism of the scale of Israel’s response to the 7 October Hamas attacks, and defended his country’s decision to support the ICJ petition.
Any action taken by the Irish government had “not been motivated by anything other than respect for international humanitarian law”, said Martin, who is also Ireland’s foreign minister. “The utilisation of the international courts by Ireland … where there can be international accountability for war crimes in any part of the world, including in Gaza, should not be seen as a hostile act.”
On Sunday, Sa’ar said “Ireland has crossed all red lines in its relationship with Israel”.
Maurice Cohen, the chair of Ireland’s Jewish Representative Council, said he was “deeply concerned” by the deterioration of relations between the two countries. He said Ireland’s intervention in the ICJ was “oversimplifying a highly complex and tragic conflict” and was “unfairly isolating Israel” while undermining the definition of genocide.
