FIANNA FÁIL HAS decided not to invite the Israeli or Russian ambassador to its Ard Fheis which is taking place in Dublin this weekend.
In a statement on X this evening, the party said:
“We do not believe it would be appropriate given the war on the people of Gaza and the war on Ukraine.
“Fianna Fáil has continuously condemned Hamas and its attack on the Israeli people on October 7th. However, more than six months on, we truly believe that the ongoing response from Israel is completely disproportionate and the fact that aid is being held back while children and others die from famine cannot and will not be condoned.”
— Fianna Fáil (@fiannafailparty) April 11, 2024
A number of TDs criticised the party last year for inviting Israel’s ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich to the event.
Defending her invitation last year, the party said it is tradition for all ambassadors to Ireland to be invited to the annual Ard Fheis for the party leader’s address.
Erlich was not invited to Fine Gael’s Ard Fheis last weekend in Galway, where Taoiseach Simon Harris received a standing ovation when he said Irish people were “repulsed” by the actions of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel has since hit out at Harris for not mentioning Israeli hostages in his inaugural speech as Taoiseach.
Its foreign ministry has accused Ireland of “being on the wrong side of history” due to its response to the crisis in Gaza.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin heard more calls in the Dáil today for Erlich to be expelled.
Responding in the Dáil today, Martin rebuffed such a call, re-emphasising the importance of diplomatic relationships, which he said “cannot be overstated in the context of getting these [Irish] 70 citizens and dependants out”.
“Our ambassador in Israel, Sonya McGuinness, has done exceptional work there, and it is likewise in respect of our representative to the Palestinian Authority, as well as the work of our ambassador in Cairo,” he added.
In recent months, he said TDs pleaded with him to try to get more Irish people out of Gaza and to try to facilitate the evacuation of others.
Had he agreed with the calls and expelled the Israeli ambassador, Martin said ”in my view, those 70 people would not be out”.
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