Irish support for Palestinians stands firm, despite Israeli anger 

Ireland’s decision to join South Africa’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza continues to feed a diplomatic storm that, to many observers, has been years in the making.

On Monday, following Israel’s decision to close its embassy in Ireland, the newly appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar lashed out at Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris, accusing him of anti-Semitism. “There is a difference between criticism,” Saar said, “and anti-Semitism based on the delegitimisation and dehumanisation of Israel and double standards towards Israel as opposed to other countries. This is how Ireland allowed itself to behave towards Israel.”

Responding to the furore, Harris told reporters in Dublin that Ireland would not be silenced, stressing Ireland had remained consistent throughout the war in its support for Israel’s “right to defend itself” within the limits of international law.

However, “You know what I think is reprehensible?,” Harris caveated, “Killing children, I think that’s reprehensible. You know what I think is reprehensible? Seeing the scale of civilian deaths that we’ve seen in Gaza. You know what I think is reprehensible? People being left to starve and humanitarian aid not flowing.”

Support during war

Irish politicians have largely provided vocal criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza, but this is a reflection of the wider sentiment in Ireland, where much of the public sees Israel’s occupation of the Palestinians as a mirror of the centuries-long English occupation of Ireland. Even if their actions sometimes fall short, Ireland and Irish politicians have provided vocal criticism of Israel throughout its war on Gaza, reflecting a feeling polls show to be widespread across a society that finds much in Palestinian history to mirror its own.

“People say they understand it right away,” said Fatin Al Tamimi, the Vice Chair of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC).

Al Tamimi’s own sister is currently trapped in Gaza, and even with Harris’s criticisms of Israel she still wants his government to do more and end trade with Israel. But among the Irish public, Al Tamimi said she has always felt a kindred spirit.

“As soon as they find out I’m Palestinian, they immediately say they get it, but I still have to explain what the occupation and apartheid means and the scale of the genocide being carried out in Gaza,” Al Tamimi said.

In November 2023, just a month after the Hamas-led attack on Israel and the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, former Irish leader Leo Varadkar characterised Israel’s actions as “approaching revenge”. A month later, Ireland, with the backing of Spain, Belgium, and Malta, urged other countries within the bloc to call for a ceasefire, admitting there was “some truth” in accusations from the Global South that the European Union was employing double standards in its position on the wars in Ukraine – where it was clear in its condemnation of Russia’s invasion and occupation – and Gaza.

However, it wasn’t until May of this year that Ireland, along with Spain and Norway recognised Palestinian statehood, eliciting the fury of the Israeli government, which temporarily recalled its ambassador, Dana Erlich.

“Irish support for Palestine is longstanding and widespread,” Ray Murphy, professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway told Al Jazeera, “It cuts across all social classes, ages and political allegiances.”

“I think politicians, even those known for traditionally supporting Palestine, were surprised by the strength of feeling on the doorstep,” Murphy said, referring to Ireland’s November general election, and the practice of politicians knocking on household doors to elicit support.

“Palestine is an issue people here care deeply about. It’s one of the few issues where there are no grey areas; people see it as just right.”

Israeli anger

Coverage of Ireland’s decision to join the South African case has been limited, if barbed, within the Israeli media, left-wing Israeli legislator Ofer Cassif told Al Jazeera.

On Tuesday, the widely read Times of Israel ran a blog piece entitled, Why the Irish Hate the Jews, in which the author Lisa Liel stated that it was Ireland’s ingrained Christianity, a religion she characterised as “inherently anti semitic” that had led to it objecting to Israel’s killing of more than 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

The same day, Israeli author Saul Sadka took to social media to wryly compare and conflate years of Irish migration as a result of famine, poverty and colonisation to criticism of Israel for colonising Palestinian land.

The row with Ireland “definitely doesn’t undermine the government or the support to Netanyahu”, Cassif said, “And even the media hardly covers it. You know, it is the usual, the ordinary drill: every time that there is a criticism from one angle or another it is immediately [branded] anti-Semitism and all that hogwash,” he said.

International relations

However, while the current row with Israel may win Dublin some domestic support, it nevertheless casts Ireland, and to a lesser degree Spain, as outliers within an EU that typically backs Israel.

Germany has been a strong backer of Israel, clamping down on pro-Palestinian activism in the country. Meanwhile, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has repeatedly backed Israel, leading to a letter of complaint from hundreds of EU officials.

“I understand that some EU countries, such as Germany, have their own reasons for supporting Israel, but I’m not so worried about the EU,” Murphy said.

“The EU is bound by treaties and conventions and protocols, so that’s not much of a concern,” Murphy added. “What is concerning is the US, which is Ireland’s largest overseas investor and what this might mean for the future of that relationship, especially with the incoming Trump administration.”

While the degree of direct support offered by the US to Israel by a Trump administration is unlikely to vary greatly from his predecessor, the incoming president’s previous use of trade and tariffs as a means to secure international political advantage is concerning, Murphy said.

Despite its relatively small population, Ireland attracts a considerable level of direct foreign investment from the United States, ranking sixth, above Italy, South Korea and Mexico; countries with populations far in excess of Ireland’s 5 million.

Will that be enough to change Ireland’s official positions if the US increases its pressure? That will depend on how far the next US administration is willing to go for Israel, and how resolute Ireland and its politicians prove to be.

But many Irish are unwavering. And in Al Tamimi’s case, the connection is personal, and one that speaks to both sides of her identity, and that of her three Irish-born and bred children.

“They want to see Palestine,” she explained.” Of course, they’re Irish citizens. They could go there to visit, but that’s not the same. They’re Palestinian. They want to go there and live.”