Ireland's prime minister will discuss antisemitism with representatives of the US Jewish community during his St Patrick’s Day trip to the United States, which began on Monday.
The Irish government published a statement saying that Taoiseach Micheál Martin will be meeting with the US Jewish community on Friday, 14 March, "to discuss the rise of global antisemitism and actions by Ireland to combat antisemitism, both at home and internationally."
Martin's bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump will take place on Wednesday in Washington DC, where the two are set to discuss "a broad agenda of issues," including "the deep ties between the United States and Ireland, as well as our vibrant economic relationship; and shared global challenges, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East."
"I look forward to discussing with President Trump how Ireland, together with our EU partners, can work with him and his administration to end conflict and to secure peace, whether in the Middle East or in Ukraine," Martin said, alluding to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Ireland's views on Israel, Jews
The planned meetings with Jewish representatives come against a backdrop of soured diplomatic relations between Ireland and Israel following the start of the Israel-Hamas War, The Irish Times wrote.
In December 2024, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar decided to close Israel’s embassy in Ireland in light of its government's anti-Israel policies.
“The actions and antisemitic rhetoric used by Ireland against Israel are rooted in the delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state, along with double standards," said Sa'ar. "Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel."
The then-Irish prime minister Simon Harris condemned the decision, saying, “I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights, and pro-international law."
“Ireland wants a two-state solution and for Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security. Ireland will always speak up for human rights and international law.”
Previously, Israel’s ambassador to Dublin was recalled following Ireland’s unilateral decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
Earlier in December 2024, Ireland announced its support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
It is not just Ireland's attitudes towards Israel that have been criticized: former ambassador Dana Erlich said there was an "increasingly inhospitable environment for Jewish and Israeli communities in Ireland, who are just a tiny minority here."
She reported that many Jewish Irish citizens and Israelis "expressed their anxiety and serious concerns" and that at least "one report of a targeted physical assault on a Jewish person [was received] in recent days."
This antisemitism has pervaded into education; in November 2024, nonprofit organization IMPACT-se released a report into antisemitism in Irish school textbooks. Their findings showed troubling patterns of Holocaust minimization, Jewish stereotypes, and one-sided views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
For example, in one history textbook, the death camp Auschwitz is referred to as a “prisoner of war camp,” which IMPACT-se writes “minimized the unique and horrific nature of the Holocaust and the systematic extermination carried out there.”