Following Ireland’s acceptance of Palestine as a nation in May, a decision which also had the backing of both Spain and Norway, a majority of UN countries will have done the same. Israel didn’t react well to the news with Ireland’s representative being summoned by Israel for an intense admonishment from officials. A film illustrating Hamas kidnapping Israelis was played out as well, breaking customary diplomatic norms.
It wasn’t anticipated that this would be the last of it. Israel, in retaliation, voided the diplomatic standing of eight officials from Norway affiliated with its representative office to the Palestinian Authority, leading to an assumption that Ireland may face a similar treatment in forthcoming days.
As Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s Foreign Minister, states, this drastic measure mostly hinders our capability to assist Palestinian inhabitants. EU’s top foreign affairs official, Josep Borrell, has also said it opposes the idea of the Oslo peace agreement, in which Norway played a significant role.
Israel’s outspoken diplomatic attitude favouring right-wing factions among local audiences may not help it gain favour with nations with which it claims to uphold diplomatic relations. Like Norway, most of Ireland’s diplomatic officials in Ramallah, soon to be promoted to embassy status, focus primarily on providing aid to the struggling Palestinian population.
Any attempts to depict Ireland or Norway as favouring Hamas are misguided. Following the lead of Norway, Ireland continues to emphasise that “Norway is and always will be a friend of Israel and its people. However, Norway has been vocal about its critique on the occupation, the execution of the war in Gaza and the resulting harm on the Palestinian populace.”
Simon Harris, Taoiseach, highlighted this standpoint during the weekend, in response to the recent attack on Gaza by Israel, pressed the EU-Israel trade agreement to be looked into again. Ireland’s President, Michael D Higgins, was similarly overtly critical of the actions of Israel. However, pleas for a ceasefire remain unheeded, at least for the time being.