Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, John Brady TD, has called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, to clarify whether the actions and comments of the Irish ambassador to Israel are consistent with and representative of the views of the Irish government.

Teachta Brady said:

“Last month the Irish ambassador to Israel Kyle O’Sullivan, in what can only be construed as an apology for the actions and decision making of the Dáil, and by extension the Irish People, on the issue of the rights of the Palestinian people, penned an opinion piece for the right-wing Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post.

“In his article, Ambassador O’Sullivan described Israel as a country based ‘on the rule of law, on democracy, and on respect for human rights and human dignity’.

“These comments were made just over a month after Minister Coveney felt compelled by the slaughter being inflicted on civilians in Gaza by Israeli Forces to summon the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Ophir Kariv, in order to reprimand him for what Minister Coveney described as the ‘completely unacceptable’ killing of civilians.

“International NGOs have accused Israel of the crime of apartheid. The illegal seizure of Palestinian lands continues unabated. Palestinians are being shunted onto Bantustans, following the forced demolitions of their homes, which in many instances the Israeli’s force them to pay for themselves.

“In May of this year, the Dáil unanimously passed a motion brought forward by Sinn Féin recognising the reality of the illegal annexation of Palestinian lands by the Israeli government. Which in effect sets out Irish government policy on this matter.

“Minister Coveney needs to clarify if Ambassador O’Sullivan’s remarks contradict the stance of the Irish government. At the very least this government need to learn to speak out of one corner of their mouth at the one time.”