As an Irishman I am ashamed of Ireland's antisemitic government - opinion

In recent years, the Irish government has adopted an extreme and uncompromising anti-Israel rhetoric and policy.

As Irish Christians, we feel national shame in the face of this approach and express unequivocal support for the Israeli government’s justified decision to close its embassy in Dublin.

As Director of the International Christian Embassy in Ireland, I would like to make it clear that we unequivocally agree with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who accuses the Republic of Ireland of antisemitism.

We are sadly aware that this is not the first time that such allegations have been made against Ireland.

In May 1945, even though the horrors of the Holocaust were already well known, the Irish government acted unusually compared to other countries when it sent its condolences to the German people on the death of Adolf Hitler.

To justify this act, Ireland claimed moral equality between the suffering of the German people and the suffering of its Jewish victims. The actions of the Irish government at that time were described in an editorial in the Washington Post as “morally shortsighted” – and this accusation can be applied equally to our own day.

History repeats itself, and once again, Ireland finds itself on the wrong side, the immoral side. Then as now, senior Irish officials acted in a deceptive and deceitful manner to justify their actions.

And when it comes to Israel and its fight for its very existence against enemies who seek to commit genocide, it is clear where Ireland stands.

No other country in the world criticizes Israel's actions as much, and in fact, criticizing Israel has become a national obsession: in the eyes of the Irish media and political establishment, Israel and the Jewish people can never do a single right or proper thing.

Media consumers can search for a single positive reference to Israel but in vain.

It is difficult to hear a word from the Irish government acknowledging the actions taken by Israel to minimize harm to the civilian population and save lives in Gaza, and in fact, the opposite is true: every action by the Israeli government or the IDF is portrayed in a negative light. This is a fixation and bias to the point of confusing the mind.

Hamas does not hide its malicious goals to bring about the complete destruction of the State of Israel. Their attempt to do so has broad support among the residents of Gaza.

No one expresses remorse for the acts of massacre and rape, which were carried out with malicious intent on October 7. As they have previously stated, they will repeat these acts at every opportunity they get.

Despite its denials, the Irish government clearly supports one side in this conflict, rewarding the atrocities of terrorism by recognizing their state, thereby effectively granting approval for the atrocities that were committed.

Ireland has not been satisfied with this injustice alone but has also embarked on an extensive propaganda campaign in the service of the same malicious goals.

An Irish disgrace

2024 will be remembered as the year of the Irish government's disgrace due to its diplomatic action plan, which includes the following steps:

• Reopening the Irish embassy in Iran, the main sponsor of global terrorism.
• Sending a congratulatory letter from the President of Ireland to the new President of Iran, in which he expressed his condolences on the deaths of members of his party, including "the most murderer from Tehran."
• Attempts to promote legislation for an economic boycott of Israel.
• Unilateral and unprecedented recognition of a Palestinian state.
• Support for the illegal arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court and Ireland's intention to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal.
• Submitting a formal request to the International Court of Justice to change the definition of the crime of genocide, thereby effectively attempting to retroactively criminalize Israel's actions, all in order to strengthen a weak argument that presents Israel as an aggressor.

These are not the actions of a friend seeking a solution to a complex conflict but of an antisemitic and hostile government, despite their statements to the contrary.

With the opening of the Israeli embassy in Ireland in 1996, there was an expectation that this would lead to the development of a mutually beneficial relationship.

Nevertheless, Ireland has proven itself to be unfaithful in this diplomatic marriage, and the Israeli government’s decision to sever ties is entirely reasonable and understandable. What is less understandable is the callous and insulting claims made by the Irish Prime Minister in his defense.

Although Ireland calls itself “the Ireland of the warm welcome,” it has unfortunately proven itself to be a cold-hearted country towards Israel. Yet you can be sure that in the hearts of many Irish Christians, there is warmth, love, and understanding for the Jewish homeland and its people.

A new dawn is sure to dawn in Irish-Israeli relations, but until then, many Christians will continue to be your friends.

The writer is the director of the International Christian Embassy in Ireland, which represents Israel-loving Christians around the world.