Israel closes its embassy in Ireland

Israel announced that it would close its embassy in Ireland on Sunday after the European country recognized Palestine as a sovereign nation and other acts that Israel said promoted “antisemitic rhetoric.”

“The actions and antisemitic rhetoric used by Ireland against Israel are rooted in the delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state, along with double standards. Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel,” the nation’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement. 

“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,” he added.

Ireland’s prime minister rejected the severance and declared his country was a peaceful nation.

“Ireland wants a two state solution and for Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security,” Prime Minister Simon Harris wrote in a post on X.

The comments follow Ireland’s decision to support South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity. 

“Ireland will always speak up for human rights and international law. Nothing will distract from that,” Harris added.

Yair Lapid, Israel’s opposition leader, also condemned Israel’s move dubbing it a cop out. 

“The decision to close the Israeli embassy in Ireland is a victory for anti-Semitism and anti-Israel organizations,” he wrote on X. 

“The way to deal with criticism is not to run away, but to stay and fight!”