Israel-Hamas war: Irish ambassador expresses ‘surprise’ at Israeli criticism over Emily Hand statement

The Irish ambassador to Israel has expressed “surprise on the part of the Irish Government” at how comments by the Taoiseach welcoming the release of Emily Hand drew public criticism from the Israeli government.

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen had condemned Leo Varadkar’s use of the word “lost” in relation to Emily in a statement at the weekend. Mr Cohen said he had summoned the Irish ambassador Sonya McGuinness “for a reprimand”.

The summoning of the Irish ambassador came shortly after the ambassadors of Belgium and Spain were also summoned over remarks made by their leaders on the conflict.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Ms McGuinness expressed surprise at the Israeli government’s intervention.

The department said Ms McGuinness “further reiterated today Ireland’s unequivocal position that all hostages held by Hamas should be immediately and unconditionally released; the importance of fully respecting International humanitarian law and getting desperately-needed humanitarian supplies to civilians in Gaza; that the current truce should become a sustainable humanitarian ceasefire; and that the international community must focus on a pathway to deliver a two-state solution which can allow the people of Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security as neighbours.”

A former Irish ambassador to Israel told the Irish Times: “This is what ambassadors are for, it’s one of their functions…We don’t just have ambassadors for saying nice and polite things, they are a source of information and a channel of communication which you can’t do in any other way.

“What’s happening now is normal in relations between countries. It’s probably less normal in Ireland’s relations but this is what it’s all about, clarifying, passing messages and doing it very directly.”

The former ambassador said while they were never formally called in for a conversation, “tough” and “difficult” messages were often conveyed between the two countries.

“We shouldn’t blow it out of all proportions, we’ve called ambassadors in here in Dublin, including one from the richest and most powerful in the European Union because we didn’t like something they said, this is going back 20 years. These things happen, sometimes they’re done quietly, sometimes more openly.”

They added the situation underlined the importance of keeping diplomatic relations and channels open with a country.

Earlier Mr Varadkar’s spokesman said the Taoiseach used the song Amazing Grace rather than the parable of the Prodigal Son in referring to Irish-Israeli child Emily Hand as “lost”.

Mr Cohen accused Mr Varadkar of “losing his moral compass” in the choice of word, saying: “Emily Hand was not ‘lost’, she was kidnapped by a terror organisation worse than Isis that murdered her stepmother.”

[ Fractious Irish-Israeli relations highlighted by response to Varadkar tweet on Emily Hand ]

[ Israel-Hamas war: Biden hopes for extension of ceasefire as more hostages released ]

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that Ireland will not be distracted from calling for the protection of civilians on both sides of the conflict.

Mr Martin said the meaning of Mr Varadkar’s statement was “very clear” and that its core message was “absolute relief at the release of Emily Hand”.

“All of Europe has been absolutely condemnatory of the Hamas attacks and it’s absurd to suggest that any member of the European Union is somehow giving solace to what happened then. But equally, the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza has to stop,” Mr Martin said.

“I’m not going to be deflected from the core position that we have on this issue.”

The Tánaiste spoke on the sidelines of a meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona, which brought together Middle Eastern, North African and European ministers to discuss the situation in the final hours of a four-day truce agreed between Israel and Hamas.

There are ongoing negotiations involving Qatar and Egypt to try to extend the truce for additional days and allow more hostages to be released.

“Everybody in that room today are agreed that the amount of children being killed is horrific, of innocent civilians. It simply has to stop, and that’s the most important message to come from the international community to Israel: this war cannot restart,” Mr Martin said.

He described meeting Irish citizens who returned from Gaza to Ireland who told him of experiencing “bombing of residential block after residential block”.

“If the war was to resume and go into southern Gaza, you’re looking at a human catastrophe,” Mr Martin warned. “It’s unconscionable in my view, that the war would resume.”

Most Irish citizens have now left Gaza, though some have chosen to remain because they don’t want to leave dependents behind, the Tánaiste said. The Department of Foreign Affairs is still working on getting some remaining Irish citizens out.

In comments on the sidelines of the conference, foreign minister of the Palestinian National Authority Riyad al-Maliki urged Ireland to continue “describing the truth”.

“Look, the Israelis cannot tolerate any kind of statement of truth, any kind of statement that really describes the situation as it is,” Mr al-Maliki told the Irish Times.

“In order to silence everybody, they attack anyone who speaks out, in order to have some kind of deterrence, to prevent them or others even to think about condemning Israeli attitude and Israeli behaviour. This is the way that Israel has behaved for a long time.”

Emily and Thomas Hand reunited after her release by Hamas

Mr Varadkar’s original tweet has caused a lot of offence in Israel. An editorial in the English language Jerusalem Post was headlined “What is up with Ireland?”

The editorial continued: “What is troubling is that the Irish premier’s post corresponds with his country’s long-time and highly problematic position.

“While leaders from the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States have voiced support for Israel’s right to defend itself, Varadkar said early on in the war that although it has a right to defend itself, ‘Israel doesn’t have the right to do wrong,’ adding: ‘To me, [Israel’s military campaign] amounts to collective punishment’.

“Perhaps the Irish leadership should be reminded of this quotation by Oscar Wilde: ‘Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right’.”

The left-leaning Haaretz newspaper had a cartoon by Amos Biderman which shows Mr Varadkar about to embrace Emily Hand. “Where were you hiding?” he asks. The cartoon features a Hamas terrorist emerging from a tunnel.

The paper stated that “Ireland has long been critical of Israel’s policies regarding the Palestinians.

“In 2014, each house of Ireland’s parliament passed two resolutions calling on the government to formally recognise a Palestinian state.”

In the United State pro-Israeli commentators took exception to the Taoiseach’s tweet. “She was kidnapped by rapist terrorists,” former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger wrote on X. “Just minor correction. You ‘lost’ your ability to say truth.”

Former congressman Joe Walsh tweeted: “So, why? Why would Ireland’s Prime Minister say Emily Hand was ‘lost and now found?’ Simple. He’s afraid. He’s afraid to say Islamic terrorists kidnapped this 9-year-old Irish/Israeli girl because he’s afraid of offending his Muslim population in Ireland. That’s all. He’s a coward.”

On Monday, the DFA said Ms McGuinness met the Israeli government’s director general for Europe, Daniel Meron, at the foreign ministry in Jerusalem about the matter.

A department statement said that Ms McGuinness presented the Israelis with the full statements issued by Mr Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheál Martin following Emily Hand’s release on Saturday night.

It said: “These statements referenced the traumatic experience endured by Emily and her family, reiterated thanks to international partners who had facilitated her freeing from captivity and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

“In this context, Ambassador 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.”