Ireland’s Anti-Israel Agenda Why Israel’s Embassy Shutdown was Inevitable

Closing an embassy is a diplomatic earthquake, the nuclear option in the arsenal of diplomatic politics. Israel’s decision to shut down its embassy in Ireland is an unprecedented move by Israel against a European state. Ironically, Ireland was one of the last countries in Europe to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 1994, long after the rest of Europe had already done so. The rupture is not a sudden reaction but the culmination of decades of anti-Israel rhetoric and hostility coming to a head.

As an American living in the United Kingdom, I have a unique perch from which to observe the schizophrenic personality of the Emerald Isle, and the results are often more leprous than leprechaun.

While the Irish we know personally are often warm, affable, and charming, this stands in stark contrast to their government’s actions. Ireland’s track record stretches back to WWII, where its refusal to assist the Allies and its “neutrality” were more a tacit alliance with Axis powers than true impartiality. In 1945, the Taoiseach made a condolence call to the German legation in Dublin following Hitler’s death. A similar refrain echoed recently when the Irish Foreign Minister extended his condolences to Iran following the death of General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Quds Force, the division responsible for the Middle East terror proxies.

These are just symptoms in an extensive list of systemic antisemitic actions by the government of Ireland. Israel has reached the end of its diplomatic patience, but what is the explanation for this terror-sympathizing, rabidly antisemitic, European state?

I have always struggled to fully understand the dynamics of “The Troubles” as the violence in Northern Ireland is colloquially known. While Northern Ireland and Ireland are not one country, they share common ancestry. It is difficult to imagine hundreds of years of violent conflict between compatriots living in the same cities and often along the same street. The toll has been immense for all involved and for many on the periphery who suffered as victims.

Seeking a better understanding of their fractured identity, together with my family, we made the trip across the Irish Sea to visit Belfast, the epicenter of this conflict. When you visit Falls Road and Shankill Road in Belfast, you can see the “Peace” walls that still separate the two sides of this battle to this very day. Most impressive are the intricate murals on each side, designed to broadcast their respective political messages.

What is most striking is how on the Loyalist (Protestant) side of the road, there are beautiful motifs of Israeli flags, while the Republican (Catholic) side of the street is decorated with Palestinian flags and hateful slogans. The visceral animosity for Israel on the Republican side of the street telegrams a message of deep-seated antipathy for all things Jewish that is as sacred to them as the local conflict itself.

What is clear is that while there are many distinctions in world view between the Catholics and the Protestants, Israel features prominently on that list. For my family and I, our trip to Belfast was a very rude awakening about the reality of Erin’s Sons and Daughters.

How can normally rational people witness the atrocities and the barbarism of Israel’s enemies and question their existential right of response? Is Israel supposed to accept with equanimity the travesties perpetrated against them by enemies who demand nothing less than their annihilation? What does it say when the Pope, leader of the Catholic Church, suggests that Israel is guilty of genocide and dresses up his nativity scene baby Jesus in a keffiyeh, the modern-day moral equivalent of a swastika and all that it stands for?

The Christian countries’ nuanced responses come down to the fundamental Christian theological dichotomy of “Eye for an Eye” Old Testament versus “Turn the other Cheek” New Testament. The Old Testament Christians, mostly Protestant, subscribe to righteous vengeance, whereas the New Testament Catholics encourage the “Meek Inheriting the Earth.” Countries with a stronger Catholic influence tend to view Israel through the lens of an aggressor as opposed to those with a stronger Protestant population, that see Israel’s response in Old Testament terms.

Ireland, as one of the most Catholic countries in Europe, clearly identifies with the former, and their anti-Israel actions can be viewed through this lens, consistently siding against Israel in rhetoric and policy.

Most liberal democracies today are split between secularism and Protestantism. In the progressive secular societies where religion has been replaced with a woke ideology, their morality has been inverted. The strong are criminalized, and the weak are lionized with disregard for rational objectivity. These liberals dominate the zeitgeist, particularly in countries with low levels of religious engagement.

In the liberal left world of intersectionality, this aligns them with the interests of the Catholic nations in vilifying Israel as they both embrace the same flawed anti-colonialist narrative that casts Israel as an imperialist aggressor. Contrast this with the Protestant view of the Jewish homeland, Jewish sovereignty is divine and the right to self-defense is rooted in Old Testament principles of justice, so therefore unimpeachable.

America’s founding principles, shaped by Protestant values and based on the Judeo-Christian ethos, have fostered its enduring support for Israel. In contrast, Ireland’s Catholic and secular influences have entrenched a shamrock hostility that seems immune to logic, although centuries old and very familiar.

Israel’s decision to close its embassy in Dublin is not just symbolic; it is a long-overdue acknowledgment that polite diplomacy with Ireland has failed. For decades, Ireland has used its global platform to undermine Israel while turning a blind eye to atrocities committed by Israel’s enemies. This is not just about politics; it is about standing firm against a nation that has normalized antisemitism under the guise of neutrality