Diplomatic tensions between Israel and Ireland are escalating as Irish President Michael Higgins accuses the Israeli Embassy of leaking a letter in which he extended congratulations to Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Higgins made these remarks while attending the UN Future Summit in New York.
After his speech, Higgins was questioned by journalists regarding criticism from the Israeli Embassy about a "courtesy letter" he sent to President Pezeshkian, who took office following the death of his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash in May. The leaked letter, which surfaced online last month, emphasized the importance of peace in the Middle East and the role of diplomacy. The Israeli Embassy in Dublin criticized the letter, arguing it sends "the wrong message to the Iranian people who live in fear under this brutal regime."
When asked by a reporter from the Irish Independent about the letter, Higgins questioned the origins of the leak and suggested the Israeli Embassy was responsible for disseminating it. He also noted that the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, is currently not in the country, preventing him from summoning her for consultations. Erlich was recalled to Israel in May, following Ireland's recognition of a Palestinian state. At the time, the Israeli Embassy cited a "troubling rise in anti-Israeli rhetoric in Ireland" as the reason for her recall, claiming that accusations against Israel had crossed into defamation and incitement.
Higgins argued such accusations have created an "unwelcoming environment for Jewish and Israeli communities in Ireland." Earlier this month, the Israeli Embassy expressed hope that, under different and more amicable conditions, Erlich would return to Dublin to resume her duties.
The Israeli Embassy in Dublin strongly rejected Higgins' accusation, stating in a declaration on its official X page that "Unfortunately, in Ireland, since the October 7 invasion by Hamas and massacre in Israel, which triggered this awful war, Israel has been subjected to a high level of malicious statements and accusations that have often manifested as incitement to hatred. This baseless accusation is highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous and the embassy rejects it completely.
"The fact remains that the letter was written and therefore it is the burden of the author to defend its content, which did not mention the threat Iran poses in the region, that it calls for Israel's destruction, that it arms and funds terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, not to mention the violations of human rights against its own citizens," it said.