Israel has warned Ireland that its decision to officially recognise Palestine will hurt the Irish economy.
Dana Erlich, Israel’s Ambassador in Dublin, claimed that many Israel-linked tech companies were considering pulling investments out of Ireland shortly before the country formally began its recognition of the disputed Palestinian State on May 28, alongside Norway and Spain.
Ireland is heavily reliant on its hardware and software technology sector. Google, Meta and Intel are all major players in the country – with tight links to Israel.
“We are getting more and more phone calls and conversations of concerned people – if it’s Israelis who invest in Ireland and are concerned about their investment, if it’s Israelis who have relocated to Ireland into different tech companies, and either are requesting to be relocated somewhere else or asking to return to Israel,” Erlich said.
“I think it sends the wrong message about the location and the centrality of Ireland as a tech hub when there are more and more people who are concerned about moving to Ireland.
“I don’t think that this is the message that Ireland wants to send to the world … And this is not what we want to see,” she concluded.
The governments of Spain, Ireland, and Norway have announced their imminent recognition of Palestine as an independent state. https://t.co/96DxajK7eF
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) May 22, 2024
That statement was met with fury in Dublin, with Government sources accusing Erlich of “mischief-making”.
“The Ambassador can say what the Ambassador wishes,” said Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris.
“This is a country that complies with diplomatic norms and treats ambassadors with respect.
“It certainly doesn’t parade ambassadors in front of television cameras where videos are played with horrific films,” he added.
That was in reference to the fact that Ireland’s Ambassador to Israel Sonya McGuinness had been forced to watch a video allegedly showing female soldiers being kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.
Irish officials appeared to be retaliating at the European Union level also, with Tánaiste (Deputy PM) Micheál Martin stating on May 27 that he and his fellow EU members were considering whether or not to put Israel under sanctions regarding its actions in Rafah.
Speaking to the media, Martin said the EU would mull the possibility should Israel fail to comply with an International Court of Justice (ICJ) order for it to cease operations in the Palestinian city.
“For the first time at an EU meeting, in a real way, I’ve seen significant discussion on sanctions,” he said.
“Certainly, if compliance [with the May 24 ICJ ruling] isn’t forthcoming, then we have to consider all options.”
Israel is also putting pressure on both Spain and Norway over the decision to recognise Palestine. Spain has been targeted by Jerusalem after a senior minister used the controversial “from the river to the sea” slogan, usually associated with more militant anti-Zionist sentiments.
Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares has said that “ships carrying weapons for Israel will not be allowed to use Spanish ports”. https://t.co/NFkap2N42s
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) May 17, 2024
