Israeli Embassy in Ireland closure welcomed as Derry & Strabane Councillors call for genocide to be shut down next

Earlier this month the the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced plans to close the embassy in Dublin, following the Irish Government’s decision to support a petition, accusing Israel of genocide , at the International Court of Justice.

At this month’s Full Council meeting, Sinn Féin councillor Pat Murphy claimed the closure was a “distraction tactic and attempt to block the upholding of international law”.

He proposed that council write to the Irish Government’s incoming Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy, to ensure the passing of the Occupied Territories Bill, which would see bans on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin said the closure was a “very welcome thing”, but added that the embassy should have been shut down “a long, long time ago”.

“Our council was one of the first councils that passed a motion agreeing that the Israeli embassy should be shut down,” Councillor Harkin said. “We’ve had more than a year now of genocide and Israel’s war has extended beyond the borders of Palestine now into Lebanon, Syria, and beyond.”

Colr. Harkin further claimed: “Israel is very clearly the greatest danger to people who live in the Middle East, and some of the commentary from supporters of the Israeli apartheid state, that Irish people are anti -Semitic because of our solidarity with Palestine, has to be condemned and rejected.

“This is not about anti -Semitism, this is because we have witnessed, in the last year and a half, the slaughter of Palestinian children [and] babies.

“ In the New Year we have to make a concerted push to do everything we can to make sure that our council area becomes an apartheid-free zone.

“I look forward to meeting with representatives from BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Strabane and the IPSC (Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign) in January to discuss what practical steps we can take as a council to forward that, and I hope that more states now shut down their embassies.”

SDLP councillor Brian Tierney also welcomed the decision to close the embassy.

“But I think that the decision that we all wish to welcome is the ending of the genocide in the Middle East,” he concluded. “And the sooner that they come to that decision, the better for everyone across the World.

“When this comes to pass it is my strong view that the Irish people will be on the right side of history, and I think that’s important.

“We will be on the side as a nation who, from the very outset, spoke up for peace and spoke up to stop the slaughter of innocent people.”

Announcing the closure on December 15, Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, in claims rejected by the Irish government, said: “The actions, double standards, and antisemitic rhetoric of the Irish government against Israel are rooted in efforts to delegitimize and demonize the Jewish state.

“The Irish government recognized a “Palestinian state” during attacks on Israel (a move praised by Hamas), attempted to redefine ‘genocide’ in international law to support baseless claims against Israel at the ICJ, backed politically motivated cases at the ICC, promoted anti-Israel measures within the EU, and fostered hostility toward Israel.”

Andrew Balfour,

Local Democracy Reporter.