Micheál Martin 'utterly' rejects claims he is antisemitic
David Young in Washington DC
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has “utterly” rejected claims that he is antisemitic.
It came after reports that the Israeli ambassador to the US had labelled him “an antisemite”.
Mr Martin is scheduled to meet with leaders of the Jewish community in the US in Washington DC on Friday as part of his engagements in the city for St Patrick’s Day.
Ambassador Yechiel Leiter reportedly told Jewish Insider that anyone who cancelled their meeting with the Taoiseach “should be commended”.
Asked about the comments on Friday, Mr Martin said: “In terms of the assertions by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, they’re false and I utterly reject what he has to say.
“A number may pull out, but some are coming to meet me, and I will take the opportunity to have an open, informal discussion in terms of presenting the prism through which Ireland has looked at the Middle East.”
He said the vast majority of countries back a two-state solution in the region.
He added: “It is the UN position, and Ireland has always adopted the principles of the UN in respect to the Middle East. It’s just absurd that you would label someone antisemitic for being in favour of the principles of the UN in respect of their application to the Middle East issue.
“I think there’s an element of deliberate undermining of Ireland’s position and distortion of Ireland’s position in respect of this.”
He said that Ireland’s approach to the conflict in Gaza is consistent with how it responded to humanitarian crises in Ethiopia, Syria and Lebanon.
“I went to Israel after October 7th in solidarity with the people of Israel, given what happened with that horrific and barbaric attack by Hamas,” Mr Martin said.
“We have consistently condemned Hamas. I’ve called for the unconditional release of hostages from the very beginning.
“We called for an immediate ceasefire, which Israel didn’t like, but as far as we were concerned, the conduct of modern warfare is such that in urban conurbations, it leads to the killing of innocent people and innocent civilians to a degree that was not tenable.
“It was beyond the moral compass that so many families and children were losing their lives, and therefore we wanted a ceasefire as urgently as possible. We wanted a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, which is still required.
“It is hell on earth in Gaza and the Irish position is fundamentally a humanitarian one, which is consistent with how we responded to Ethiopia, consistent with how we responded to Syria, consistent with how we’ve always responded to Lebanon.
“So there’s a consistency of approach in the Irish position, and to label it as antisemitic is wrong, false and a deliberate distortion of the truth.”
Senior figures in Israel’s government have accused leaders in the Government of encouraging antisemitism, with the Israeli embassy in Dublin also announcing last year that it would close.
Israeli politicians have also criticised the State’s decision to intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel, with Dublin asking the International Court of Justice to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes genocide.
In addition, Israel foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar called Mr Martin’s predecessor, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, “antisemitic”.
Mr Harris, who now serves as Tánaiste as part of coalition arrangements with Mr Martin's Fianna Fáil, has rejected the characterisation.
