Israel has announced the closure of its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorated over the war in Gaza. The decision came days after Ireland declared that it would file an intervention in support of South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Israel said it was closing the embassy because of the response to what its foreign minister has described as Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government.”
In May, Israel recalled its ambassador to Dublin after Ireland announced, along with Norway, Spain, and Slovenia, that it would recognize a Palestinian state.
Last week, the Irish cabinet decided to formally intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of committing genocide to Gaza.
Israeli officials said shuttering the embassy in Ireland did not mean Israel was severing diplomatic relations with Ireland.
Officials from both countries noted that Ireland’s embassy in Tel Aviv would continue to function.
“Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel,” Gideon Saar said in a statement on Sunday. “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.”
Mr Saar also announced on Sunday that Israel would open a new embassy in Moldova, a country that already maintains an embassy in Israel.
“The relations between Israel and Moldova are friendly, and both countries seek to expand and deepen them,” Mr. Saar said.
Meanwhile, the prime minister of Ireland, Simon Harris, has described Israel’s decision to close its embassy as “deeply regrettable” in a statement posted on social media.
“I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-international law,” Mr Harris said.
Israel’s relations with Ireland have been rocky for months.
Ireland’s deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs, Micheál Martin, said in a statement that Ireland and Israel would “continue to maintain diplomatic relations,” pointing out that “inherent in that is the right to agree and disagree on fundamental points.”
