The Guardian reports:

Israel has announced it will close its embassy in Ireland, citing Dublin’s decision last week to support a petition at the international court of justice accusing Israel of genocide.

The move was announced by the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, who said it was prompted by the Irish government’s “extreme anti-Israeli policies”, noting its decision to join the ICJ petition last week.

The Irish taoiseach, Simon Harris, said on X: “This is a deeply regrettable decision from the Netanyahu government. 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. Nothing will distract from that.”

Israel has not applied similar measures to other countries, including Egypt, Spain, and Mexico, that joined the petition.

The announcement came as the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza approached 45,000 in the war that began with Hamas’s 7 October attack into Israel last year. Dozens of deaths were reported in Israeli strikes on the coastal territory on Sunday. [Continue reading…]