Israel to close Ireland embassy, open up one in Moldova
'Ireland crossed all the red lines to speak to Israel,' Gideon Sa'ar said, while adding that both Moldova and Israel are interested in expanding and strengthening bilateral relations
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced that Israel would close its embassy in Ireland "in light of the extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government," according to a statement on Sunday.
In addition, Israel will open up an embassy in Moldova, with Sa'ar saying that "the time has come for Israel to have an embassy in Moldova" after years of diplomatic relations.
Israel's Ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, "was returned to Israel at the time following Ireland's decision to unilaterally recognize a 'Palestinian state,'" Sa'ar said. "Last week, Ireland announced its joining the South African lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ), which accuses Israel of 'genocide.'"
"Ireland's antisemitic actions and rhetoric against Israel are based on delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state and on double standards," he continued. "Ireland crossed all the red lines to speak to Israel. Israel will invest its resources in promoting bilateral relations with the countries of the world according to priorities that are also derived from the attitude of the various countries towards it."
The straw that broke the camel's back from Israel's perspective was Ireland's petition last week in the ICJ to adopt an expanded interpretation of the concept of genocide to cover Israel's alleged crimes, which do not meet the criteria of the concept at present.
While Sa'ar predecessor, Eli Cohen, summoned ambassadors, he never made the move to close an embassy.