Dublin, Ireland
Dublin, IrelandiStock

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa'ar, gave an order on Sunday to open a new Israeli embassy in Moldova and to close the Israeli embassy in Ireland.

Sa'ar explained that the relations between Israel and Moldova are friendly and that both countries are interested in expanding their ties. "Moldova already has an embassy in Israel, and it is time for Israel to have an embassy in Moldova," he stated.

Sa'ar notified the Foreign Minister of Moldova, Mihai Popșoi, of his decision to open the Israeli embassy in Chișinău, which will be carried out as early as possible in 2025. He instructed the director general of his office to find a suitable building for the Israeli embassy in Moldova and to start the process of appointing an Israeli ambassador to the country. The decision to close the Israeli embassy in Dublin was made in light of the Irish government’s extreme anti-Israel policy.

The Israeli ambassador to Dublin was recalled to Israel following Ireland's decision to unilaterally recognize a "Palestinian state." Last week, Ireland announced that it was joining the South African court case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of "genocide." Minister Saar stated: "The actions and antisemitic rhetoric that Ireland has adopted against Israel are based on the delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state and on double standards. Ireland has crossed all red lines in its relations with Israel. Israel will invest its resources in promoting bilateral relations with countries around the world, according to priorities derived also from the attitudes of different countries towards it."

"There are countries that wish to strengthen their ties with Israel and do not have an Israeli embassy to date. We will amend the diplomatic framework of Israel’s representations, while giving weight, among other things, to the attitude and actions of different countries towards Israel in the political arena."

Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Simon Harris said in response to Israel's decision to close its embassy in his country, "This is a deeply regrettable decision from the Netanyahu government. I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-international law."

Foreign Minister Sa'ar explained the decision: "The actions, double standards, and antisemitic rhetoric of the Irish government against Israel are rooted in efforts to delegitimize and demonize the Jewish state.

"The Irish government recognized a “Palestinian state” during attacks on Israel (a move praised by Hamas), attempted to redefine ‘genocide’ in international law to support baseless claims against Israel at the ICJ, backed politically motivated cases at the ICC, promoted anti-Israel measures within the EU, and fostered hostility toward Israel.

"Notably, Ireland is one of the few European countries that has not adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and its government has failed to take effective measures to combat the surge of antisemitism within Ireland.

"Israel will focus its resources on strengthening bilateral relations with countries worldwide, according to priorities that also take into account the attitudes and actions of these states toward Israel. "