Israeli Ambassador Dana Erlich has voiced her concerns over Ireland’s “excessive fascination” with Israel, which she notes is unmatched towards any other nation. As she prepares to head back to Jerusalem for government discussions following Ireland’s recent recognition of the Palestinian state, her remarks reflect a rising trepidation.
Erlich objected vehemently to Ireland’s move (alongside Spain and Norway) to formally acknowledge Palestine as a state, an action that has sparked consternation within the Israeli administration. Beyond that, she expressed unease and annoyance about Ireland’s portrayal and understanding of Israel.
According to Erlich, critical dissent about Israeli policies, the actions they’ve taken or their government’s choices is understandable. However, she pointed out that the level of criticism in Ireland has escalated, transforming into demonisation of an entire culture, extending to the Jewish populace in Ireland.
This has coincided with an uptick in anti-Semitism, she observed, drawing connections between the two phenomena. In her role as ambassador, she is not just concerned about the signal Ireland’s actions are sending to Hamas; she is deeply troubled by what this implies for Ireland’s perspective on Israel and the future of their relations.
Erlich referred to the recognition of Palestine as simply the most recent in a series of initiatives and actions, making it clear that over recent months an excessive obsession towards Israel has become evident in Ireland, a fixation not seen with other nations.
When questioned on whether she believed there was an undercurrent of anti-Semitism among Irish attitudes towards Israel, she admitted that her conversations and observations had reluctantly led her to consider it a possibility, a thought she initially refused to contemplate.
Addressing the issue of Israeli military operations in Gaza, Erlich admitted her horror at the situation unravelling there, lamenting the ongoing tragedy in Gaza.
“She expressed her confusion about why all criticism was being focused on Israel, without any mention of Hamas’ role. The responsibility for the current situation, she argued, lies with them, with their use of their own people as human shields. She highlighted the need to scrutinize Israel’s legal actions fairly, rather than rushing to shift the entirety of the blame onto the State.
She voiced her concerns about the quickness with which individuals were willing to demonize and censure Israel, creating a hostile atmosphere, highlighting the fact that her country maintains diplomatic relations with Ireland. She is set to return to Jerusalem to deliberate with the foreign ministry about Israel’s response to Ireland’s acknowledgment of Palestine, keeping all potential courses of action open.
The review of relations between the two nations- intelligence, security, diplomatic, economy, military, among others- she said will constitute an evaluation of all possible diplomatic tools they have access to, including authorisations and accreditations.
Discussing Irish NGOs operating in Palestine, she stated their activities were mostly unknown because the majority interact with government bodies, which calls for a comprehensive review of the current lines of association, given the governmental funding many NGOs receive.”