Israel shutters Dublin embassy, accuses Ireland of ‘extreme anti-Israel policies’

File photo: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attends an event in northern Israel on October 11, 2022.

Israel will close its Dublin embassy due to the "extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government", Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday. The decision refers to Ireland's recognition of a Palestinian state and support for legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of genocide.

Israel's foreign ministry announced on Sunday that it was closing its embassy in Ireland, citing the Dublin government's "extreme anti-Israeli policies", further straining tense relations between the two nations.

Diplomatic ties between Ireland and Israel have deteriorated after a series of moves that included Ireland recognising a Palestinian state and backing an International Court of Justice case accusing Israel of "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

Ireland has also been among the most outspoken critics of Israel's response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas that sparked the war in Gaza.

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"The decision to close Israel's embassy in Dublin was made in light of the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel."

(AFP)


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