Tánaiste Micheál Martin rejects suggestions that Ireland is anti-semitic 

Tanaiste and Minister for Defence Micheal Martin during a Budget 2024 press conference at Government Buildings in Dublin. Picture date: Wednesday October 11, 2023.

Ireland is in no way an inherently anti-semitic country and "cherishes its Jewish community", Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said.

Some high-profile online commentators and social media users have claimed in recent days that Ireland is anti-Israel and anti-semitic, following protestations in the country at the proportion of the Israeli response to the Hamas attack on its citizens. 

Mr Martin dismissed any assertion that Ireland is inherently anti-semitic.

"I would reject that. But I don't believe that a majority of commentators believe that either. Ireland has a very, very good reputation globally in respect of our support for human rights, the fundamental human rights of every citizen and individual. 

"That is manifested in the UN and Security Council in terms of we being very successful in maintaining humanitarian corridors to Syria, to Ethiopia. At times, we took a lot of heat from the authorities in Ethiopia because we were insistent in getting humanitarian aid to people. 

"Ireland has a strong reputation in respect of adherence to human rights. We're subscribed to all the anti-semitic conventions, we work with others to root out anti-semitism," he said.

Criticism of Israeli government policy is not antisemitism, the Foreign Affairs Minister said.

"We have a Jewish community in Ireland that we cherish and our constitution also cherishes the Jewish tradition within Ireland. I think we have to separate that from legitimate criticism from time to time in terms of Israeli government policy in terms of the Palestinian question. In democracies, there is always room for legitimate debate and questioning.

"In respect of the Hamas attack on Israeli citizens, there can be equivocation and no reservations in condemning the brutality and barbarity of that attack. There can be no connection between that and the broader question of Palestine. Any attempts to connect the two are wrong," Mr Martin said.