Israel closes embassy in Ireland over 'extreme anti-Israel policies'

2024-12-15 15:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel's Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that it will close its embassy in Ireland, citing the Dublin Government's "extreme anti-Israel policies" and further straining relations between the two countries.

Diplomatic ties between Ireland and Israel have deteriorated following a series of decisions by Ireland, including the recognition of the Palestinian state and its support for a case sent to the International Court of Justice to accuse Israel of committing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip. .

Ireland is among the countries most critical of Israel over the country's response to the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants on Israeli soil that left more than 1,200 dead.

Hamas is the Palestinian group that rules Gaza, declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

After the attack by Hamas, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza, with the aim of destroying the group. As a result of the Israeli offensive, over 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities.

"The decision to close the Embassy of Israel in Dublin was made because of the extreme policy of the Irish Government against Israel", it was said in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Ireland has crossed every red line in relations with Israel."

The Irish Prime Minister, Simon Harris, has considered Israel's decision to close the embassy as "very unfortunate".

"I strongly disagree with the assessment that Ireland is against Israel. Ireland is for peace, for human rights and for international law," he said in a post on X - the platform formerly known as Twitter.

In November, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said state authorities would arrest his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, if he traveled to Ireland, following an arrest warrant issued for him by the International Criminal Court.

This Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for "crimes against humanity and war crimes" committed from October 8, 2023 to May of this year in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, has said that Israel will invest in building ties with other countries and on Sunday announced the opening of the embassy in Moldova./REL