Israel says embassy closure due to 'anti-Israel policy'

Israel recalled the ambassadors of Ireland and Norway in May for "consultations" after both countries officially recognized Palestine as a state. Tensions between Ireland and Israel have worsened after the Irish government declared support for Palestine as the conflict in Gaza escalated. 

Dana Ehrlich, Israeli Ambassador

In a post on Twitter after the Israeli attack, Katz tagged Taoiseach Simon Harris, the current Israeli defense minister and then-foreign minister, and said, “Thank you Hamas for your service.” The occupied territories bill, which would ban trade between Ireland and illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine, was another point of contention - said Dana Ehrlich, Israel’s ambassador to Ireland,

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that the Israeli embassy in Dublin will be closed due to the Irish government's "intense anti-Israel policy." 

In a statement, the Sarr said: “Ireland’s anti-Semitic actions and rhetoric against Israel are based on the delegitimization, demonization and double standards of the Jewish state. “Ireland has crossed all red lines in its relations with Israel. Israel will invest its resources in promoting bilateral relations with the countries of the world, which will be derived from the attitudes of various countries.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said he completely rejects the claim that Ireland is anti-Israel and that this is a regrettable decision by the Netanyahu government.

"Ireland's position on the conflict in the Middle East has always been guided by the principles of international law and the obligations of all states to comply with international humanitarian law. The continuation of the war in Gaza and the loss of innocent lives is unacceptable and contrary to international law. It represents the collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Gaza." 

The Martin Cabinet on Wednesday approved Ireland's intervention in South Africa's case against Israel, which is currently pending before the International Court of Justice. 

The case against Israel concerns violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip. Ireland will support South Africa's case against Israel, which began following the start of Israeli military operations in Gaza on 7 October 2023.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said in a post to X that there are no plans to close the Irish embassy in Tel Aviv, that he completely rejects the claim that Ireland is anti-Israel, and that this is a regrettable decision by the Netanyahu government.

Following the official recognition, the Irish Ambassador to Israel, Sonya McGuinness, was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and shown a video of Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7 as a "rebuke" to the government's decision.

Israel's ambassador to Ireland said he was disappointed to learn that the Irish government is reviewing the Occupied Territories Bill, which would ban trade between Ireland and illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.

In a statement posted to X, Dana Ehrlich accused the government of bowing to “opposition pressure” by demanding that the attorney general legally review the bill, which was first proposed by independent Senator Frances Black in 2018. She claims the bill is a “discriminatory attempt to target Israel” and labels the proposed legislation “anti-Israel.” 

Under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the Europe-based International Criminal Court (ICJ), it is illegal for a country to transfer its own citizens to another territory it occupies. The same court is not recognized by many countries, including the United States. 

"Unfortunately, Israel has been subjected to many unfounded accusations, which are regrettably and often automatically accepted in Ireland without proper verification," said Dana Ehrlich, the last Israeli ambassador to Ireland.