Ireland–Israel relations are foreign relations between
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. Relations between the two countries have been complex and generally strained due to their conflicting positions on the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...
.
Relations between the two countries soured during the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
. In late 2024, Israel closed its embassy in Dublin, citing Ireland's "anti-Israel" stance. In January 2025, Ireland announced it would join South Africa's
Gaza genocide
According to a United Nations Special Committee, Amnesty International, and other experts, Israel is committing genocide in Gaza against the Palestinian people during its ongoing invasion and bombing of the Gaza Strip as part of the Gaza w ...
case
Case or CASE may refer to:
Instances
* Instantiation (disambiguation), a realization of a concept, theme, or design
* Special case, an instance that differs in a certain way from others of the type
Containers
* Case (goods), a package of relate ...
against Israel in the
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
.
History
20th century
Since 25 January 1996, Ireland has an embassy in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
and Israel had an embassy in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
until its closure in 2024. The Israeli ambassador to Ireland is
Dana Erlich, who took over the role from
Lironne Bar-Sadeh in August 2023, and the Irish ambassador to Israel is
Sonya McGuinness.
Both countries are full members of the
Union for the Mediterranean
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM; , ''Al-Ittiḥād min ajl al-Mutawasseṭ'') is an intergovernmental organization of 43 member states from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin: the 27 Member state of the European Union, EU member states (i ...
.

Ireland only extended ''
de jure
In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...
'' recognition to Israel in 1963, and both countries established diplomatic relations in 1975, when Ireland's ambassador to Switzerland was also accredited to Israel. Prior to that, Ireland had refused to establish relations due to Israel's alleged violations of UN Resolutions. In 1981, however, Ireland condemned Israel's
attack on
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
's
Osirak
Operation Opera (), also known as Operation Babylon, was a surprise airstrike conducted by the Israeli Air Force on 7 June 1981, which destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor located southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. The Israeli operation ca ...
nuclear reactor. in 1990,
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
, who was then Israeli deputy foreign minister, visited Ireland and met with Irish foreign minister
Gerry Collins, lobbying strongly for the opening of an embassy in Dublin. Collins noted the historic sympathy towards Israel in Ireland had been damaged by "cases of Irish troops being brought home dead from Lebanon". In December 1993 Ireland reached an agreement on opening an Israeli embassy in Dublin, with it then opening on 29 January 1996.
During the 20th century both the
Irish and the
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
provided each other with moral support for the war effort for independence against the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
, when the Irish fighting tactics inspired the
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
in their fight in
Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine.
After ...
for independence. For example,
Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir (, ; born Yitzhak Yezernitsky; October 22, 1915 – June 30, 2012) was an Israeli politician and the seventh prime minister of Israel, serving two terms (1983–1984, 1986–1992). Before the establishment of the State of Israel, ...
, inspired by the
IRA fighter
Michael Collins, applied in the
Lehi the policy that every fighter would have to carry a weapon with him at all times. Shamir's underground nickname, "Michael", (pronounced ) was based on the name of Michael Collins.
In 1978, the
Irish Army
The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...
contributed forces to
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
as part of
UNIFIL
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, and several further resolutions in 2006 to con ...
, a UN peacekeeping force in Southern Lebanon, which was the scene of fierce fighting between Israeli forces and their proxy militias and Lebanese guerillas. From 1978 to 2000, Ireland contributed over 40,000 troops to UNIFIL, and was the country's largest military involvement outside its own borders. Tensions erupted between the two countries over alleged mistreatment of Irish forces by the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Irish Government regularly called the Israelis to criticise them over their treatment of Irish peacekeepers. Irish Foreign Minister
Brian Lenihan said that much of his sympathy for Israel disappeared when he saw how Irish soldiers were treated.
Irish forces were a major participant in the
Battle of At Tiri, where UNIFIL troops withstood an attack by the
South Lebanon Army
The South Lebanon Army or South Lebanese Army (SLA; , ), also known as the Lahad Army () or as the De Facto Forces (DFF), was a Christianity in Lebanon, Christian-dominated militia in Lebanon. It was founded by Lebanese military officer Saad H ...
, an Israeli-backed militia, after it attempted to set up a checkpoint in At Tiri. One Irish soldier was killed in the battle. Following the
2006 Lebanon War
The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...
, Ireland deployed a unit of 150 troops to protect
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army ( , ) is the army, land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, Combat engineering, engineer ...
engineers.
In 1978,
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish , meaning "air fleet") is an Irish airline company which is the flag carrier of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 201 ...
, the national airline of Ireland, without prior agreement with the Irish government, secretly trained
Egyptian Air Force
The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) () is the aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all military aircraft, including those used in support of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy ...
pilots, at a time when Israel and Egypt were still in peace talks, and had yet to sign a treaty.
In 1987 Corporal Dermot McLoughlin of the
Irish Defence Forces
The Defence Forces (, officially styled ) derives its origins from the Irish Volunteers. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is , as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled . is used in other contexts (e.g. ...
was serving in Lebanon as a member of
the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) when he was killed after being hit by an Israeli tank shell. The Irish Army believed the incident to have been a "deliberate and unprovoked attack" by the Israeli forces, with the Irish Defence Minister
Paddy O'Toole saying that he was "dismayed, disappointed and disgusted". The Israeli ambassador was summoned as a response.
2000 to 2019
In 2003, the Irish government opposed the building of Israel's
security wall in the
West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
.
According to
leaked diplomatic cables, following the
2006 Lebanon War
The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...
, Ireland sought to "limit US weapons transfers to Israel" through its territory and
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport () is an international airport located in County Clare in Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. With almost 2 million passengers in 2023, the airport is the third busiest ...
.
In 2010,
Boaz Moda'i was named Israel's ambassador to Ireland. In the same year an Israeli embassy official was expelled from Ireland after it emerged that the Israeli intelligence service,
Mossad
The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (), popularly known as Mossad ( , ), is the national intelligence agency of the Israel, State of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with M ...
, had created eight fake Irish passports when they assassinated
Hamas
The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
leader
Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh. The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin (; born 16 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, having previously held the position from 2020 to 2022. Martin served as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Min ...
said Israel's action were "clearly unacceptable".
In 2012, Nurit Tinari-Modai, wife of the ambassador Boaz Moda'i, was appointed deputy ambassador. Noting that the appointment would be "reviewed annually", an Israeli Foreign Ministry source stated that Tinari-Modai was a "professional diplomat" who could have "secured a full ambassadorship on her own merits".
In March 2013,
Alan Shatter
Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin S ...
, minister of Justice, Equality and Defence said, while visiting Israel, that "Ireland is a friend of Israel. We have a government in Ireland that wants a deeper engagement. But we also have a government in Ireland that is committed to the peace process." During that trip, it was announced that Ireland and Israel would start an initiative to work closely together on reducing road deaths in both countries.
In May 2014, the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published the "ADL Global 100 survey" into global anti-Semitism. The survey ranked Ireland as "in the middle in comparison with other countries in Western Europe" in terms of responses to questions on attitudes to Israel and to Jewish people.
In September 2014, Irish UN peacekeepers on the Golan Heights rescued Filipino colleagues who were surrounded by Islamist extremists. Senior sources confirmed that Irish soldiers would "almost certainly" have been killed or taken hostage if it wasn't for the military intervention of the Israeli army, and that assistance from the Israeli army was "decisive" in the success of the rescue.
In November 2015,
Alison Kelly became Ireland's ambassador to Israel, replacing
Eamonn McKee. Kelly presented her credentials to Israeli President
Reuven Rivlin
Reuven "Ruvi" Rivlin ( ; born 9 September 1939) is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the president of Israel between 2014 and 2021. He is a member of the Likud party. Rivlin was Minister of Communications from 2001 to 2003, and su ...
stating that her goal was to "continue to work to strengthen and expand the cooperation between our countries". Also in 2015,
Zeev Boker became the
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i ambassador to
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, presenting his credentials to the President of Ireland,
Michael D. Higgins
Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...
.
2020 to present
In 2021,
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
(the lower house of the Irish parliament) unanimously passed a motion condemning the "de facto annexation" of Palestinian land.
As of September 2023, Ireland's ambassador to Israel was
Sonya McGuinness,
and
Dana Erlich was Israel's ambassador to Ireland.
On 22 May 2024, the
Foreign Minister of Israel,
Israel Katz
Israel Katz (; born 21 September 1955) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Likud currently serving as Ministry of Defense (Israel), Minister of Defense and a member of the Security Cabinet of Israel. Katz has been recognized ...
, announced the recall of the Israeli Ambassador, Dana Erlich, following the Irish government's announcement of its
recognition of the State of Palestine on the 28th of May. Ireland's Ambassador to Israel, Sonya McGuinness, along with the Ambassadors of Norway and Spain, was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Affairs ministry for a diplomatic ''
démarche
A démarche (; from the French word whose literal meaning is "step" or "solicitation") has come to refer either to:
* a line of action; move; countermove; maneuver, especially in diplomacy; or
* a formal diplomatic representation (diplomatic co ...
'' at which they were shown footage of the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. The event was filmed by Israeli media and broadcast nationally. The Irish Tánaiste, Micheál Martin criticised the treatment of the Ambassador describing it as "outside the norm by which diplomats are treated in any country".
In December 2024, Israel announced that it would close its embassy in Dublin due to what it described as "the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government".
On 20 December 2024, the Irish
Department of Foreign Affairs received notification of the closure of the embassy.
In January 2025, Dana Erlich confirmed that she would remain in the role of ambassador until mid-2025 at which point Israel would appoint a non-resident ambassador.
On 24 February 2025, Irish
MEP,
Lynn Boylan was refused entry to Israel along with French MEP
Rima Hassan and other EU officials. They had been travelling as part of an EU delegation for discussions with Palestinian authorities. They had their passports and mobile devices seized and were detained and interrogated before being deported back to Brussels. Boylan said that no official reason had been given for the deportation. In response, the Israeli government said that "foreigners who have published a public call to impose a boycott on the State of Israel...will not be authorised to enter Israel".
In May 2025, Ireland's national broadcaster,
RTÉ
(; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
, sought a meeting with the
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
to discuss Israel's inclusion in the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
. The request came in the context of "the ongoing events in the Middle East and by the horrific impact on civilians in Gaza, and the fate of Israeli hostages" and followed a call by the
NUJ Dublin Broadcasting Branch to follow the lead of other European public service stations in seeking discussions on Israel's participation in the
that year's event. The Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, criticised the move accusing RTÉ of "showing bias against Israel".
In May 2025, Ireland's president,
President Michael D Higgins said accusations of
anti-Semitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
against those who criticise the policies of Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amount to "slander against Ireland". "If you criticise Netanyahu's policies you are then described as being anti-Semitic. That is a disgrace and a slander and it has been a slander against Ireland, against individuals, including myself, people who for example who have worked all their lives in relation to human rights activity," President Higgins said.
Commercial ties and tourism
The commercial relationship between Israel and Ireland goes back to the early days of Israeli statehood. In 1988, Israeli exports to Ireland were valued at $23.5 million, while Irish exports to Israel were valued at $32.8 million. In 2010 Israeli imports from Ireland approached $520 million and exports to Ireland stood at $81 million.
Israeli exports to Ireland include machinery and electronics, rubber and plastics, chemicals, textiles, optical/medical equipment, gems, and fruit and vegetables. Irish exports to Israel include machinery and electronics, chemicals, textiles, foodstuffs, beverages, and optical/medical equipment. A bilateral agreement on double taxation signed in 1995 has facilitated economic cooperation.
In August 2014 controversy erupted when it became public that Ireland had approved export licences for military goods worth up to €6.4m to be shipped to Israel over the previous three years. Opposition parties complained that the types of materials sold to Israel were being kept secret from the Irish public. While the Irish government refused to give exact details on the type of equipment, updated figures showed military licences totalling €126,637 had been approved in advance of the 2014 Gaza conflict.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
's
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (; born 12 June 1973) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since the 2020 general election, and previously from 2011 to 2016 for the Donegal North-East constit ...
and
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland.
Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
senator
Averil Power demanded more transparency over the export approvals.
According to ''
Haaretz
''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
'' newspaper, Ireland was the most popular destination for Israeli holidaymakers in 2000. In 2005, a peak number of Irish nationals visited Israel to attend the
Ireland-Israel World Cup qualifying match.
Ireland and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Ireland annually provides €10 million in bilateral and multilateral aid to the Palestinian people and organisations, including €3.5 million through the
UNRWA
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA, pronounced ) is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians who fl ...
.
On 19 January 2010,
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior
Hamas
The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
military commander, was assassinated in
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
by a team of eight suspected
Mossad
The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (), popularly known as Mossad ( , ), is the national intelligence agency of the Israel, State of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with M ...
officers who used counterfeit European passports, including
Irish passport
An Irish passport () is the passport issued to Irish nationality law, citizens of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. An Irish passport enables the bearer to travel internationally and serves as evidence of Irish nationality and citizenship of the Eu ...
s. The Irish government responded by expelling a staff member of the Israeli Embassy in Dublin. Ireland subsequently delayed an
EU–Israel agreement which would involve allowing Israel to access sensitive information on EU citizens, and demanded that Israel tighten its data protection laws.
On 5 June 2010, the
humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material and Humanitarian Logistics, logistic assistance, usually in the short-term, to people in need. Among the people in need are the homelessness, homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters, wars, and famines. Th ...
vessel ''
MV Rachel Corrie'' sailing from Ireland (where she had been refitted) to
Gaza, was
intercepted and seized by the
Israeli Navy
The Israeli Navy (, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'', ; ) is the Israel Defense Forces#Arms, naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea th ...
.
This caused political tension between Ireland and Israel.
On 25 January 2011, Ireland upgraded the Palestinian envoy in Ireland to that of a full embassy, which resulted in the Irish Ambassador to Israel being summoned. Israel announced that it "regrets" the decision
and it was "not surprised" due to the Irish government's "biased policy regarding the conflict over the years".
On 4 November 2011, the Irish ship
MV ''Saoirse'' travelling to Gaza was intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters. The Navy boarded the ship, took those aboard in custody and towed it to
Ashdod
Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...
. In response, Irish
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems.
The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
and
Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore (born 24 April 1955) is an Irish diplomat and former Labour Party politician. He has served as European Union Special Representative for Human Rights since February 2019. He has also been the European Union Special Envoy for th ...
stated that the Irish government do "not agree with
he Gaza blockade (...) regard it as contrary to international humanitarian law in its impact on the civilian population of Gaza, and (...) have repeatedly urged Israel to end a policy which is unjust, counter-productive and amounts to collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians."
On 16 November 2011, unnamed sources from the
Israeli Foreign Ministry
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (; ) is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other c ...
claimed that "Ireland (is the) most hostile country in Europe" and was "pushing all of Europe's countries to a radical and uncompromising approach". The unnamed official made an accusation that "the Irish government is feeding its people with anti-Israel hatred" and that "what we are seeing here is clear anti-Semitism." The subsequent survey by the
Anti-Defamation League of worldwide anti-Semitism proved that the unnamed source was incorrect, since Ireland was found to have less anti-Semitism than the average of European countries and a more favourable view of Israel. Additionally, an official from the
Irish Foreign Affairs Department countered that "the Government is critical of Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. It is not hostile to Israel and it is clearly wrong to suggest as much," he said. "The notion that this Government is or would be trying to stoke up anti-Israeli feeling is untrue. We are not hostile to Israel. We are critical of policies, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories. These are not the same things". Israel's ambassador to Ireland was reported as distancing himself from claims of Irish anti-Semitism.
In December 2012 the IsraelinIreland posted on the Embassy's Facebook page a comment that was viewed as racist and slanderous to Palestinians: ''"A thought for Christmas. ... If Jesus and mother Mary were alive today, they would, as Jews without security, probably end up being lynched in Bethlehem by hostile Palestinians. Just a thought ...''". The post resulted in protests, and the Embassy removed the statement issuing an apology, and posted the following statement: "To whom it may concern: An image of Jesus and Mary with a derogatory comment about Palestinians was posted without the consent of the administrator of the Facebook page. We have removed the post in question immediately. Apologies to anyone who may have been offended. Merry Christmas!"
In early 2012 the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign organised a "cultural boycott" of Israel, as a result of which Irish music group
Dervish
Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from ) in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage is found particularly in Persi ...
cancelled a proposed tour of Israel, citing "an 'avalanche of negativity' and 'venom' directed towards them." This online campaign was officially condemned by Irish Justice Minister
Alan Shatter
Alan Joseph Shatter (born 14 February 1951) is an Irish lawyer, author and former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2014. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin S ...
and Irish
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems.
The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore.
In June 2012, Israel's Channel 10 published an e-mail in which Nurit Tinari-Modai, deputy ambassador to Ireland, proposed harassing expatriate Israelis who criticized Israeli policies, posting photos of them and publishing disinformation that would embarrass them. She claimed that they were critical of Israel because of their sexual identity. The Foreign Ministry quickly distanced itself from her letter, disavowing her approaches to handling critics. Her recommendation included the following: "You have to try and hit their soft underbellies, to publish their photographs, maybe that will cause embarrassment from their friends in Israel and their family, hoping that local activists would understand that they may actually be working on behalf of Mossad."
In September 2013 Israeli soldiers clashed with Palestinians, EU diplomats (including an Irish diplomat) and foreign activists at the site of a West Bank village demolished by the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
. The diplomats were manhandled.
On 31 July 2014 on the 23rd day of the
2014 Israel–Gaza conflict
The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge (, ), and Battle of the Withered Grain (), was a military operation launched by Israel on 8 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that has been governed by Hamas since ...
, Ireland's Foreign Minister
Charlie Flanagan said he shared "the horror and revulsion of senators and very many of our citizens at the horrendous scenes we have witnessed since the start of the Israeli military operation." The Irish government, he said, condemned "both the unacceptably high civilian casualty rate resulting from disproportionate military action on Israel's part as well as the firing of rockets by Hamas and other militants into Israel."
The Israeli embassy in Dublin came under criticism twice in the month of July 2014, first for posts likening Free Palestine activists to Hitler, and second for posting edited images of iconic European art in ways that imply Islam is taking over Europe (see
Islam in Europe
Islam is the second-largest religion in Europe after Christianity. Although the majority of Muslim communities in Western Europe formed as a result of immigration, there are centuries-old indigenous European Muslim communities in the Balkans, ...
and Islamophobic incidents). The image of the Irish Molly Malone statue was edited by the Israeli Embassy to show her covered with a Muslim veil along with the words, "Israel now, Dublin next." Following criticism that the anti-Muslim posting promoted hatred and were offensive, they were taken down. The embassy claims it meant no offence.
On 22 October 2014, the
Seanad (Irish upper house of parliament) passed a motion calling on the government to give formal recognition to the
State of Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
and take active steps to promote a viable two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The move follows similar initiatives in other European states, including
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
While Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
and most Israelis are opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, in December 2014 a petition was sent by over 800 Israelis asking Ireland to offer Palestine this recognition. The petition was sent to Ireland's Lower House ahead of a recognition vote already approved in the Upper House. Signatories to the letter included three well-known authors,
Amos Oz
Amos Oz (; born Amos Klausner (); 4 May 1939 – 28 December 2018) was an Israeli writer, novelist, journalist, and intellectual. He was also a professor of Hebrew literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. From 1967 onwards, Oz was a pro ...
and
A.B. Yehoshua
Avraham Gabriel "Boolie" Yehoshua (; December 9, 1936 – June 14, 2022) was an Israeli novelist, essayist, and playwright. ''The New York Times'' called him the "Israeli William Faulkner, Faulkner". Underlying themes in Yehoshua's work are Jew ...
, both
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...
winners, and
David Grossman, as well as former Foreign Ministry director-general
Alon Liel. Subsequently, the Irish government announced that it would accept a motion proposing the recognition of Palestine, with 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as the capital, as specified in U.N. resolutions. According to the Jerusalem Post, European countries have become frustrated with Israel, since peace talks have collapsed and Israel is still building settlements in Palestinian territories. Ireland will not be alone in recognising Palestine; Sweden became the largest Western European country to offer Palestine recognition, and parliaments in Spain, Britain and France have backed resolutions in favour of recognition. However, the Spanish and British governments, are at this time, refusing to recognise a Palestinian state.
In January 2018, Senator
Frances Black proposed a
private member's bill
A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...
in the Irish Seanad which would have criminalised the purchase of goods and services from settlements in occupied territories, including Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The
Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 was opposed by the Government and voting on the Bill has been postponed.
On 9 April 2018
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...
became the first European capital to vote in favour of resolutions endorsing the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's ...
(BDS) movement against Israel and calling for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland. The City Council boycott motion included a specific call to boycott products and services from
Hewlett Packard
The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, Californi ...
. On 10 April, the
Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...
Mícheál Mac Donncha travelled to
Ramallah
Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...
to attend a
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
conference on the status of Jerusalem, avoiding an Israeli government ban due to confusion arising from the spelling of his name in Irish on his passport. In response, the Israeli government summoned the Irish Ambassador to formally demand an explanation for the boycott motions of Dublin City Council and the Lord Mayor's attendance at the conference.
In 2019, despite opposition from the
Government of Ireland
The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...
, the
Dáil passed the second stage of the 'Occupied Territories Bill' by 78 to 45 votes.
If fully enacted, it will restrict the importation of goods that originated from any of the
Israeli-occupied territories
Israel has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967. It has previously occupied the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and southern Lebanon as well. Prio ...
, including the
settlements in the
West Bank
The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
,
Golan Heights
The Golan Heights, or simply the Golan, is a basaltic plateau at the southwest corner of Syria. It is bordered by the Yarmouk River in the south, the Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley in the west, the Anti-Lebanon mountains with Mount Hermon in t ...
and
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the portion of Jerusalem that was Jordanian annexation of the West Bank, held by Jordan after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Captured and occupied in 1967, th ...
. The Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Ophir Kariv said "it would make Ireland the most extreme anti-Israel country in the western world and entrench it deeply on the wrong side of history.",
while supporters of
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) policies reportedly described the bill as a "victory for the BDS movement" and
Trócaire
Trócaire (, meaning "compassion") is an International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) which is based in Ireland. It was founded, in 1973, as the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Trócaire is involved ...
's chief executive, Caoimhe de Barra said it would serve as a good example for the rest of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
.
In May 2021, the Dáil declared that the building of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land was ''de facto'' annexation, becoming the first EU member state to do so. The motion proposing the declaration was proposed by the opposition, and was supported by the Government. An amendment calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador was defeated.
In November 2023, a nine-year-old girl with joint Irish and Israeli citizenship was released as part of a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel. Irish Taoiseach
Leo Varadkar
Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A Teachta Dála, ...
's tweet welcoming her release as "an innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned" faced criticism from the Israeli President and Foreign Minister. They rejected the use of the word "lost" and said that she was not lost but had been kidnapped and taken hostage by Hamas.
In May 2024, in response to an encampment at
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
, the university's administration agreed to a set of demands outlined by the protestors, including complete
divestment
In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset for financial, ethical, or political objectives or sale of an existing business by a firm. A divestment is the opposite of an investment. Divestiture is a ...
from investments in Israeli companies with activities in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory
The occupied Palestinian territories, also referred to as the Palestinian territories, consist of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip—two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been occupi ...
and appear on the UN blacklist.
During early 2024, three flights carrying
munitions
Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of ...
for the
Israeli Defence Force flew over Irish airspace. The IDF had not asked the Irish government for consent, according to
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Simon Harris
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence since January 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025. He has ...
, and an Irish government spokesperson said that the carrying of munitions was prohibited on any civil aircraft in
Irish territory.
On 22 May 2024, the
Foreign Minister of Israel,
Israel Katz
Israel Katz (; born 21 September 1955) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Likud currently serving as Ministry of Defense (Israel), Minister of Defense and a member of the Security Cabinet of Israel. Katz has been recognized ...
, announced the recall of the Israeli Ambassador, Dana Erlich, following the Irish government's announcement of its
recognition of the State of Palestine on the 28th of May. Ireland's Ambassador to Israel, Sonya McGuinness, along with the Ambassadors of Norway and Spain, was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Affairs ministry for a diplomatic ''
démarche
A démarche (; from the French word whose literal meaning is "step" or "solicitation") has come to refer either to:
* a line of action; move; countermove; maneuver, especially in diplomacy; or
* a formal diplomatic representation (diplomatic co ...
'' at which they were shown footage of the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. The event was filmed by Israeli media and broadcast nationally. The Irish Tánaiste, Micheál Martin criticised the treatment of the Ambassador describing it as "outside the norm by which diplomats are treated in any country".
On 15 December 2024, the
Foreign Minister of Israel,
Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Moshe Sa'ar (; born 9 December 1966) is an Israeli politician currently serving as Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), Foreign Minister and member of the Knesset for the party New Hope (Israel), New Hope. Sa'ar was first electe ...
announced the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin due to what he described as the "extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government" which he characterised as "antisemitism". This decision came a week after the Irish government decided to formally intervene in
South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
. South Africa alleges that Israel has committed
genocide in Gaza, which Israel vehemently denies. The decision to close the embassy was criticised by Israeli opposition leader
Yair Lapid
Yair Lapid ( ; born 5 November 1963) is an Israeli politician of the centrist Yesh Atid party and a former journalist who has been the Leader of the Opposition (Israel), Leader of the Opposition since January 2023, having previously served in t ...
who said that the decision gave "victory to antisemitism and anti-Israel organizations" and described the Irish government's actions as "criticism" rather than antisemitism. The Irish Taoiseach, Simon Harris, described the closure of the embassy as "deeply regrettable" and rejected the assertion that Ireland is "anti-Israel", insisting that instead Ireland is "pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-International law". Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that there were no plans to close the Irish embassy in Israel.
In response to the Taoiseach's comments, Sa'ar accused Simon Harris of antisemitism and described the proceedings of the International Criminal Court as "politicised".
In February 2025,
Israel Katz
Israel Katz (; born 21 September 1955) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Likud currently serving as Ministry of Defense (Israel), Minister of Defense and a member of the Security Cabinet of Israel. Katz has been recognized ...
(then the Israeli Defense Minister) suggested that Palestinians displaced from Gaza by a plan proposed by Donald Trump (described by
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
and other groups as a form of "ethnic cleansing") should
immigrate to Ireland. Ireland rejected Katz's proposal.
On 16 May 2025, Taoiseach Micheál Martin signed a joint letter along with the heads of government of Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain calling on the Israeli government to halt its military action in Gaza and lift the ongoing aid blockade. Earlier that month, Martin said that the blockading by Israel of food and humanitarian aid to Gaza "clearly constitutes a war crime."
See also
*
Foreign relations of Ireland
*
Foreign relations of Israel
Foreign relations of Israel refers to diplomatic and trade relations between Israel and other countries around the world. Israel has diplomatic ties .
*
Ireland–Palestine relations
*
International recognition of Israel
*
History of the Jews in Ireland
The history of the Jews in Ireland extends for more than a millennium. The Jewish community in Ireland has always been small in numbers in modern history, not exceeding 5,500 since at least 1891.
Middle Ages through 16th century
The earliest ...
Notes
References
External links
Irish embassy in Tel Aviv Israeli embassy in DublinIIA - Ireland Israel Alliance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland-Israel relations
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
Bilateral relations of Israel