Israeli embassy closure
Israel slaps Ireland, Ireland takes it on the chin
02 January 2025
Protest outside the Israeli embassy in
Dublin.
On 16th December Israel announced that it was to close it’s Dublin embassy over “the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government.” The grounds were “Last week, Ireland announced its support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of ‘genocide’.” Earlier in the year Israel had recalled its ambassador because of Ireland’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine.
There was some tough talking from the Irish Government. Simon Harris said that he utterly rejected the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel, going on to say that: “Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-International law.... Ireland has consistently spoken up in favour of peace and a ceasefire and we’ve always called for the release of hostages and we’ve always supported the work of international courts”.
However, as in all our dealings with Israel, the slap on the face will not lead to any action. The Irish ambassador is to stay in Israel, and the government reaffirms its commitment to diplomatic relations. Even the Occupied Territories Bill, which has passed through both houses in the Dail and has the very modest aim of enforcing international law, has been parked in limbo. Sinn Féin say they will release Dáil time to advance the Bill but all the action amounts to parliamentary manoeuvres which the government can counter with time delay amendments.
There is an old saying that when you are explaining, you’re losing. The government explained to Israel that: By filing a declaration of intervention, in the South African case, Ireland was simply expressing an interest in the application of international law. Israel presses ahead with intimidation.
The Dublin government’s case is easily explained. There is huge public revulsion against the Gaza genocide. The government wants, through statements, to placate that sentiment. However, they know that US government support enables the genocide and there is no way that Ireland, politically and economically subordinate to Western imperialism, will take any action. The decision to recognise Palestine is taken in conjunction with other European countries and in the context of a mass vote in the UN General Assembly. It represents the limit of action that the US will tolerate and has not stopped the genocide for a second.
Israel knows just how weak Irish actions are. Why the aggressive response? The general answer is that this is what they do. Chutzpah, the concept of extreme audacity, is used routinely to shout down opponents.
The exact context is that Ireland is an easy target and they want to warn off other countries. This tells us that there is no real prospect of an end to the slaughter. The arrival of Trump is likely to accelerate the war and, with the destruction of Syria, the Israeli strategic objective will be regional war with Iran that includes a direct intervention by the US. Other countries are to be warned about protesting and Ireland is the perfect catspaw to transmit this message.
The major problem for Irish opponents of genocide is that the playacting extends far into what passes for the Left. Thousands march in Dublin, but no-one confronts the US or targets the Irish government for its complicity. Individual firms face BDS protests, but no-one questions the lack of trade union action, in contrast to many European countries where workers disrupt arms supplies. Above all there is a lack of political understanding, with opposition to Gaza genocide running alongside support of a US and NATO proxy war in Ukraine. This position is becoming untenable as a major war between the US an Iran is on the horizon.
The basis of true solidarity is common interest. Although there is peace in Ireland, we also are under the sway of US imperialism and every year sees the results of that domination in growing crises in housing, public services and the cost of living. Full solidarity demands opposition to imperialism and capitalism. It is this we must strive for.