Irish Examiner view: Ireland stands firm in the face of Israeli bullying

Despite Israel's petulant decision to shut its embassy, Ireland's stance on the attack on Gaza has been reasoned and humanitarian-based

On Sunday, Israel shut its Irish embassy accusing Ireland of 'anti-Israeli policies'. Also on Sunday, Palestinian authorities reported incidents including the killing of four civil defence workers in Deir al-Balah, Gaza after an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat camp. Picture: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

At a time of increased tensions between any two nations, the last thing needed is a petulant and rash decision to close off any avenue of diplomacy between the parties involved.

The decision by the Israeli government to shutter its embassy with Ireland because of the Irish Government’s alleged “anti-Israeli policies” seems, on the one hand, to be a reprimand for continued Irish questioning of the murderous war in Gaza and Lebanon, which had seen the Government come under pressure to expel the Israeli ambassador here. It refused to do so, when the easy route might have been to acquiesce to opposition parties at the time.