The twisted roots of Ireland’s historical antipathy to Israel

Last month, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saar, ordered the closure of its embassy in Dublin. It followed an Irish proposal to join South Africa in the “genocide” accusation at the International Court of Justice at the Hague. Ireland, together with Spain and Norway, have formally recognised the State of Palestine. 

This was the latest episode in a history of support by the Irish Republic for the cause of the Palestinians, stretching back to 1957. Frank Aikin, the then Irish Foreign Minister, called the world’s attention to the plight of the Palestinian refugees – and asked how many Israel would be willing to take back.

Ireland emerged as a leading critic after it gained membership of the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the EU, in 1974. This provided Ireland access to Arab markets.

Following the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Arab oil-rich states dramatically increased the price of oil and offered inducements to many countries to break off diplomatic relations with Israel. Ireland initiated negotiations with numerous states in the Arab world in order to establish diplomatic relations with them.

Dublin rightly spoke about human rights in some locations but easily forged diplomatic relations with murderous regimes such as Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Ireland shortly afterwards condemned Israel’s bombing of the Osirak nuclear reactor.

Ireland had traditionally favoured a two-state solution and argued that its policy was always balanced and fair. However, many regarded this balance as tilting in favour of the Palestinian cause while being accompanied by a selective outrage about Israeli actions. So when the UK abstained on a vote for PLO participation in the UN General Assembly in 1974, Ireland voted in support. To maintain the balance, it opposed the “Zionism is Racism” UN Resolution in 1975.