TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has said he was “shocked” by negative reactions expressed about his visit to Israel yesterday.

The Tánaiste was on an official trip to Israel yesterday where he visited sites attacked by Hamas on 7 October, including the town of Sderot where 45 people were killed and Kibbutz Be’eri, a farming community where around 130 people were killed.

Government sources had said one reason behind the trip, which was scheduled only a few days in advance, was to push for Irish citizens to be allowed to flee from Gaza, where Israel has launched an unrelenting retaliation claiming the lives of more than 11,000 people. Israel has put the death toll from the Hamas attacks on 7 October at 1,200 people. 

The Tánaiste was photographed visiting sites of damage in Israel, attracting criticism from some politicians and activists who questioned why he was meeting with Israeli politicians and not showcasing the damage inflicted upon Gaza.

“I was a bit shocked about it, actually, and I think it’s a reminder that we need to create contexts for genuine debate and discussion,” Martin said.

This morning in Israel I witnessed the devastation caused by the Oct 7 attack in Sderot and Kibbutz Be’eri, where Emily Hand was taken hostage, w/ Israeli FM @elicoh1

I unreservedly condemn the brutal attack by Hamas & call for the immediate & unconditional release of hostages pic.twitter.com/gj751Qw4fz

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 16, 2023

Speaking to reporters this morning, the Tánaiste said: “Some of the simplistic vitriol that I looked at myself yesterday evening, I just couldn’t believe.”

“It’s very important in situations like this that we seek to understand where people are coming from, because if you don’t, if you don’t understand that, then you have very little chance of making a meaningful or informed contribution to resolving issues, and that’s our objective: to contribute to the resolution of issues,” he said.

“We had a really good discussion yesterday with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and you wouldn’t have read about that online, because people wanted to create a particular narrative.”

Very good to meet with Palestinian Authority PM @DrShtayyeh in Ramallah. I expressed my sympathy to the Palestinian people over civilian deaths in Gaza

We discussed the role the international community must play in the path to peace & Ireland’s support for the two State solution pic.twitter.com/aXQn15ElsM

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 16, 2023

Martin, who is the Minister for Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the number of Irish citizens trapped in Gaza was a key reason for the trip.

“We felt last week, because no Irish citizen had come out, that there was a need to come out to meet people in person,” he said.

“It was good news then that that final push, I think, yielded the outcome that we have 26 out now.

Every day that somebody’s in Gaza, their lives are at risk, and so I was very relieved at the fact that Irish civilians were going to come out of Gaza.

“We won’t be satisfied until everybody is out, every Irish citizen and their dependents. The diplomatic network is very important in situations like this,” he said.

Additional reporting by Niall O’Connor