There have been diplomatic tensions between Ireland and Israel almost since the latter was founded. Ireland only established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1975, and it took until for 1996 for it to open an embassy in Tel Aviv. In recent years, the frosty relations between the two countries had been improving, largely thanks to mutual investment and cooperation between their tech industries.
That uneasy truce was shattered by the Hamas pogrom on October 7 – and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza in an attempt to eradicate Hamas once and for all.
Things escalated in Ireland this week, when there were several fractious debates in the Dail on the subject of expelling Dana Erlich, the Israeli ambassador. As if that wasn’t enough, a coalition of left wing parties have been demanding stringent sanctions and have urged the Irish government to report Israel to the International Criminal Court in the Hague for crimes against humanity – a rather pointless gesture given the fact that the ICC is already investigating the conduct of the IDF in Gaza.
If the speeches in the Dail weren’t about such a grave issue, they would have been grimly amusing. People
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in