Dana Erlich said she had heard of Israelis asking to be transferred elsewhere or to return homeSimon Harris condemns the “horrific” rocket attack on refugees in RafahMicheál Martin said EU foreign ministers have discussed the prospect of sanctions against Israel if the country does not comply with the International Court of Justice ruling.State recognition will be formalized tomorrow by Ireland, Norway and Spain
Speaking in Jerusalem, Dana Erlich said a crisis in bilateral ties over Ireland's plan to recognize Palestinian statehood tomorrow sends the wrong message about Ireland as a technology hub and worries Israeli investors in Ireland's IT services sector.
“I honestly think it's a distraction,” Mr Harris said today in response to the launch of the Fine Gael elections.
Asked whether he believed Ms Erlich was threatening Ireland with economic retaliation for its decision to recognize Palestine through her comments, Mr Harris said: “The ambassador can say whatever the ambassador wants to say.
“This is a country that adheres to diplomatic norms and treats ambassadors with respect.
“It certainly does not parade its ambassadors in front of television cameras where videos are played during gruesome films. We will continue to treat all ambassadors with respect.”
Simon Harris referred to a rocket attack on Rafah that killed dozens of people in a displaced persons camp. It followed a Hamas rocket attack on Tel Aviv, which caused no injuries.
“I was very clear last week when we announced, together with Norway and Spain, that we had decided to recognize the state of Palestine because we believe in a two-state solution,” he said.
“We believe in the State of Israel and the State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and stability. And we believe it at a time when others are trying to push that hope into oblivion,” he continued.
“And frankly, I think many people in Israel, many people in Palestine and many around the world can distinguish between the people of Israel and Netanyahu's government. I am certainly able to distinguish between the two, just as we can distinguish between good and evil.”
Rather than wanting to divert anyone's attention, he said: “I think what should concern the whole world today are barbaric, horrific scenes that we saw last night in Rafah, where a displaced persons center was attacked. Imagine a place where parents take their children for safety and security, a place that is meant to be a kind of refuge and safety. At this most horrific moment, it was attacked and bombed, killing 45 people.
“That is the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Middle East. I don't think anyone fully understands the magnitude of this.”
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that EU foreign ministers have discussed for the first time the prospect of sanctions against Israel if the country fails to comply with an International Court of Justice order.
He suggested that Ireland would support such an approach.
'Certainly if it is observed [with Friday’s ICJ ruling] if it doesn't happen, we have to consider all options,” he said.
The Taoiseach also said sanctions against Israel are not “off the table”.
He told Ireland AM: “In terms of sanctions, I don't think anything can be off the table when it comes to Israel, especially with what we're seeing happening in Rafah at the moment, while we're seeing the international community ignored, while we're seeing international courts are ignored.”
Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.
Ireland, Norway and Spain will formally recognize the Palestinian state on Tuesday.
Micheál Martin said today at a joint press conference in Brussels that the move sought a “fundamental paradigm shift” towards a peaceful two-state solution to the conflict.
He added: “Some have interpreted our decision to recognize the state of Palestine as an attempt to impose an outcome on the parties or as somehow a reward for terror.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. We have recognized both the State of Israel and the State of Palestine precisely because we want to see a future of normalized relations between the two peoples.”
Mr Martin said there could be no military solution to the conflict as he criticized any group that uses violence or terrorism to eliminate the state of Israel or Palestine.
He said: “I condemn yesterday's violence. The rockets fired at Tel Aviv and the horrific attack on the Rafah refugee camp, where innocent children and civilians were killed.”
He added: “What we saw last night is barbaric. Gaza is a very small enclave, a densely populated agglomeration.
“You cannot bomb such an area without shocking consequences for innocent children and civilians.”
Mr Martin called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe also said he is confident that technology companies currently based in Ireland and moving here will continue to do so, despite Irish recognition of Palestine.
“I'm confident that those who are moving here and those who are here, we're going to stay here, and we're going to continue to attract here.
“A lot of these big employers, whether they're tech with us, also have a lot of people leading, managing and working for them who also have different strong views on what's happening in the Middle East,” the minister said in Drivetime from RTÉ Radio. .
The minister said that despite political decisions, Ireland has been able to demonstrate why technology companies should locate here.
“Ireland has made different political decisions and different political declarations at different times.
“And in our many years of working with the foreign direct investment community here in Ireland, we have been able to point to an economically stable environment in which businesses can grow, and that will continue to be the case,” he added.
The minister also defended Ireland's decision to recognize the Palestinian state.
“I think this sends the right message about Ireland in general. And it certainly sends the right message about the view we have on what is evolving in the Middle East right now,” he said.
In making the decision to officially recognize Palestine, the minister said there was recognition that there could be consequences.
“The reason why the country has taken the decision that we have taken, we have collectively recognized all the consequences that could arise from the decision, is that we are convinced that a two-state solution is the only viable long-term solution to the conflict in the Central East.
“And that is so far away for the Palestinian people right now that our recognition of the state is the right signal to send,” the minister said.
Speaking earlier in Jerusalem, where she has been consulting with the Foreign Office after being recalled in protest, Dana Erlich said she hopes to return to Ireland even though she felt the Irish government was siding with the Palestinians against Israel.
State recognition will be formalized tomorrow in collaboration with Spain and Norway. The United States and some other European countries are in favor of first resuming negotiations for a solution to the conflict.
The move by Ireland, Spain and Norway was labeled a “reward for terrorism” by Israel, which is waging a devastating war in Gaza with ongoing fighting on other fronts in response to the October 7 cross-border rampage by Hamas.
Ireland recognizes the state of Palestine
Ms Erlich said all aspects of Israeli-Irish ties were under review but did not predict any further action from her government, which has continued to spar with Madrid.
“Ireland is not neutral or an honest broker in this matter because they are very supportive of the Palestinians. But what we are saying (is): this is not the time for such an announcement about recognition,” said Ms. Erlich.
The Irish government says recognition of the Palestinian state could benefit Israel by reviving stalled peace negotiations.
Ms Erlich said many Irish people sympathize with Israel 'behind the scenes'. She added: “I think there is a lot of potential in our bilateral relations, whether it is cybersecurity or healthcare, climate change. I hope I get the chance to continue that.”
But she said the public atmosphere of hostility is causing Israelis to question their place in Ireland – a threat to the engineering services that account for the lion's share of around €5 billion in annual trade between the countries.
“We are receiving more and more calls and hearing conversations from concerned people – if they are Israelis investing in Ireland and concerned about their investment, if they are Israelis who have moved to Ireland to various technology companies and are applying to be relocated elsewhere move differently or ask to return to Israel,” Ms. Erlich said.
Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli attack that left displaced people in Rafah, southern Gaza. Health workers said at least 35 people were killed in the area. Photo: AP
“I think this sends the wrong message about Ireland's location and centrality as a technology hub, with more and more people concerned about moving to Ireland. I don't think this is the message Ireland wants to send to the world and it is not what we want to see.”
The business relationship has already been hit by the decision announced on February 5 by Israeli national airline El Al not to renew direct flights to Dublin launched last year, citing changes in customer demands since the Gaza war.
The government has rejected calls from pro-Palestinian activists to impose sanctions or an economic boycott against Israel.
But on April 5, Ireland said its €15 billion sovereign wealth fund would divest from six Israeli companies, including some of its biggest banks, over their activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Gaza war broke out a month after Ms Erlich arrived in Dublin, putting her in 24/7 crisis management.
“There are a lot of similarities between Ireland and Israel that I'd like to learn more about – whether it's the revival of an ancient language, whether it's the diaspora, or the different landscape options,” she said.
“And I hope I get the chance to explore Ireland further. But now we need to address our concerns.”