Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has announced the closure of the Israeli embassy in Ireland.
The Israeli government says the decision to close Israel’s embassy in Dublin was made “in light of the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government.”
Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Minister accused Ireland of “antisemitic rhetoric…rooted in the delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state.”
“Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel. Israel will invest its resources in advancing bilateral relations with countries worldwide according to priorities that also take into account the attitudes and actions of these states toward Israel”, Minister Sa’ar wrote in a statement.
The minister also said that they will focus their efforts in “countries interested in strengthening their ties with Israel” including announcing the opening of a new embassy in Moldova.
In response, Taoiseach Simon Harris wrote on social media: “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.”
Tánaiste Micheal Martin says Ireland has “no plans” to close the Irish embassy in Israel.
“Ireland and Israel will continue to maintain diplomatic relations. Inherent in that is the right to agree and disagree on fundamental points”, he said in a statement.
Ireland and Spain have continuously urged the EU to explore whether Israel’s action in Gaza constitute a breach of the human rights clause in the EU-Israel trade agreement. Israel has so far not announced a closure of its embassy in Spain.