Israeli minister’s fears for safety of Jews in Ireland after Michael Higgins’ speech Exclusive: Israeli deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel has spoken to The Independent in the wake of Jewish protesters being ejected from a Holocaust memorial event addressed by Ireland’s presidet Michael Higgins.
President Higgins, who has been a critic of Israel’s conduct in the war since the 7 October attack by Hamas terrorists in 2023, had made a point in his Holocaust memorial speech of equating antisemitism and the mass murder of 6 million Jews with issues in the present day including homophobia and Islamophobia.
Ms Haskel, a member of the National Unity Party in Bejamin Netanyahu’s coalition, accused the political leadership in Ireland of being “antisemitic” and warned that the controversy over Ireland’s treatment of Israel represented a wider problem in Europe.
Israel’s deputy foreign minister has claimed she fears for the safety of Jews in Ireland after a row over the Dublin’s position on the Middle East conflict escalated over the weekend.
It followed a Jewish protester being physically dragged out of a venue during President Higgins’ speech on Sunday when she attempted to stand up and turn her back to him in protest over the language he was using.
