Israeli foreign minister calls Ireland’s premier ‘antisemitic’

Israel’s foreign minister has further intensified the country’s diplomatic fallout with the Republic of Ireland by calling the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Simon Harris “antisemitic”.

This comes after Israel’s decision to close its embassy in Dublin.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that Gideon Saar, in a statement, cited Ireland’s support for proceedings against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICJ).

“Last night Ireland’s antisemitic Prime Minister Simon Harris said in an interview ‘Ireland is not anti-Israel but Ireland is absolutely anti the starvation of children’,” Saar said.

He asked “is Israel starving children?” and went on to say his country was working to enable humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.

A spokesperson for the taoiseach said on Monday evening that Harris “will not be responding to personalised and false attacks”.

They added that he “remains focused on the horrific war crimes being perpetrated in Gaza, standing up for human rights and international law and reflecting the views of so many people across Ireland who are so concerned at the loss of innocent, civilian lives”.

Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ earlier on Monday, Israel’s ambassador to Ireland said closing the embassy was a “tough decision” for her country to take.

Dana Erlich went on to say that Ireland has taken “a more extreme stance than any other country” against Israel.

Simon Harris said that he did not regret the Irish government’s intervention in the ICJ case in relation to Israel.

Ireland had previously indicated its support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel in the ICJ, saying it would ask the court “to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes the commission of genocide by a state”.

Harris has also rejected that Ireland is anti-Israel.

However, speaking on RTÉ News at One, Erlich said of Ireland’s request to the ICJ: “This is an abuse of the international multilateral system by South Africa, we were sorry to see Ireland join it, but this joins an accumulation of steps, rhetoric and initiatives that we’ve seen Ireland trying to promote this past year.

“Unfortunately in the past year we’ve seen Ireland position itself in an extreme position that no other country has put itself.

“In most countries we have difficult conversations and we have disagreements – we accept criticism, but this has gone over that line in Ireland.

“We see Ireland in a more extreme stance than any other country.”

Erlich said she heard concerns from the Jewish and Israeli communities in Ireland.

“We direct those concerns to the Irish government, the government that needs to make sure that they are safe, that there is a future for the Jewish community in Ireland,” she said.

“These assurances need to be made.”

The taoiseach said his “priority is to shine a spotlight on what is happening in the Middle East and we should not allow anything to distract from what is happening”.

He said although he regretted the actions of the Israeli government regarding the embassy closure, he emphasised the importance of diplomatic relations and that Ireland would continue to engage with Israel.

“I’m very proud of the decision Ireland has taken, we are pro human rights and international law,” he added.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said the Irish government must “hold firm” on its stance with regard to Israel and Gaza.

McDonald described the move by Israel over its 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 on the [Benjamin] Netanyahu regime,” she said.

Ireland’s Jewish Representative Council chairperson said he was “deeply concerned” by the deterioration in the relationship between the Ireland and Israel.

Chairperson Maurice Cohen said that the closure of Israel’s embassy has caused distress for Israeli people in Ireland.

He said the Irish government’s intervention in the ICJ risks “oversimplifying a highly 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 practical disadvantage”.

“Consular services provided by the embassy are vital for those maintaining connections with family, culture, and heritage in Israel,” he added.

“Losing this resource will leave many feeling unsupported and aggrieved.

“Closing the embassy risks alienating a significant segment of Irish society and sends a message that dialogue is being replaced by disengagement.”

He said that 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 called on both the Irish and Israeli governments to seek pathways to rebuild trust and to ensure avenues for diplomatic engagement remain open.

Daniel Epstein-O’Dowd, from the Ireland Israel Alliance, told BBC News NI that it was a “predictable” decision by Israel to close its embassy in Dublin and that “post October 7th there has just been provocation after provocation by the Irish government”.

He said it is a “very symbolic move by Israel and showing that they ultimately don’t see any value in retaining any diplomatic presence” in the Republic of Ireland.

“There are many Israelis who are in the tech industry here in Dublin who are a little bit stranded and isolated quite frankly, they feel the Israeli embassy was very much there for them, particularly in the dark days immediately post October 7th, the embassy really shone through in the sense of that community,” he added.

“So I think it is wondering where do they go next?

“I don’t think that detail has yet been released, but I think it is ultimately going to be somewhere else other than Ireland, it’s a very sad day for anybody in Ireland or Israel.”

Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin said there are no plans to close its embassy in Israel.

On 7 October last year, Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

In retaliation, Israel launched a massive operation inside the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of eliminating Hamas.

So far, at least 44,875 people have been killed and more than 100,000 injured – mostly civilians, the Hamas-run health ministry says. The UN regards these figures as reliable.