Closed doors
Israel will be closing its embassy in Ireland following Dublin's decision to intervene in South Africa's International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against the country. It is a first for an Israeli embassy to shut down in Europe since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.
In theory, Ireland is not taking sides: intervening in an ICJ case means acting as a third party. But it is doing so on behalf of South Africa – and by extension, of Palestine. They are pushing for a broader definition of the commission of genocide by a State, deeming the current one too restrictive.
Ireland is not the first country to decide to intervene in the ICJ case on behalf of Palestine: Belgium, Spain and Türkiye have all done so as well. Yet, Israel hasn't closed down its embassies in those countries. Singling out the Irish Republic might be linked to an Israeli trade advantage: 69% of microchips imported to Ireland – a precious commodity in its tech-dominated economy – come from Israel.
Taoiseach Simon Harris called the move the ”diplomacy of distraction”. He said: ”You're all here today asking about Ireland's position, what about Israel's actions? Nobody's gonna silence Ireland.”
The decision ends a year of mounting tension between the two countries. Since the start of the war, Ireland has recognised the Palestinian state and announced that its sovereign fund would divest from six Israeli companies, prompting Israel to call its ambassador back. A few weeks ago, Dublin also confirmed it will respect the ICC's arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ireland has historically been pro-Palestine, given their collective trauma of oppression under British colonial rule. It was the last EU country to open an embassy in Israel, in 1996.