Ireland: Israel is overreacting on Varadkar
Israel’s decision to summon the Irish ambassador over comments by Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is “an overreaction,” Ireland’s Education Minister Simon Harris said on Monday.
Over the weekend, Varadkar triggered Israeli outrage when he quoted a verse from the Bible’s Parable of the Prodigal Son — “was dead, and is alive … was lost, and is found” — to commemorate the release of Emily Hand, an Irish-Israeli girl, aged 9, who had been kidnapped by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The post and the prime minister’s choice of words were criticized by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who accused Varadkar of trying to “legitimize and normalize terror,” remarks which were echoed by Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy.
“This is how you describe a little girl who went missing during a stroll in a forest, then gets discovered by a friendly hiker. Not a girl brutally abducted by death squads that brutally massacred her neighbors. But this explains the extent of Ireland’s contribution: prayers,” Levy wrote within a string of tweets ridiculing Dublin’s understanding of the situation.
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Shortly after, Cohen announced plans to summon the Irish ambassador to Israel “for a reprimand.”
But on Monday, Harris defended Varadkar, saying the prime minister calls out terrorism “every single day,” and that his statement was “extraordinarily clear.”
“I don’t wish to add any provocation, but I think the taoiseach’s statement absolutely speaks for itself,” he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.
“Israel have decided to summon a number of ambassadors from a number of European countries in recent days. It’s their prerogative to do that. I think it is a bit of an overreaction,” he added.
Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney also came to Varadkar’s defense, calling Israel’s reaction “unfair.”
“I think there is a view in Israel that Ireland has taken a very strong position on one side of the argument and perhaps that’s what’s triggered such a strong response from the Israeli foreign minister,” Coveney told RTÉ. “I think it’s unfair, I have to say, in the context of what the taoiseach has been saying throughout this conflict.”
On Monday, Ireland’s Ambassador to Israel Sonya McGuinness met with Israeli Deputy Director General for Europe Daniel Meron in the foreign ministry in Jerusalem, according to a statement by the Irish foreign affairs department. According to the statement, McGuinness showed the foreign ministry Varadkar’s full statement — which he himself posted online after the backlash began.
McGuinness “expressed surprise on the part of the Irish Government that these expressions of evident relief at Emily’s release had been publicly criticised by the Israeli Government,” the statement added.