DUBLIN: Irish Ambassador to Israel Kyle O’Sullivan was summoned to the Israeli foreign ministry in protest of Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney’s anti-Israel remarks.
Israel has been enraged by a statement made on Twitter by Minister Simon Coveney about the violence in Gaza. Coveney said Israel should be condemned for targeting Gaza “with such tragic consequences”. He made the statement on Twitter after the Israel Defense Forces announced that they would launch their biggest strike since the 2014 Gaza conflict, which would include attacking the homes of senior Hamas leaders.
“Killing of children in conflict is never acceptable. Firing rockets from Gaza must be condemned, but so too should such a brutal response. This violence must end,” Minister Coveney added.
Israeli public broadcaster Kann reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry had told O’Sullivan that Coveney’s statements were “one-sided, outrageous and completely unacceptable”.
Alon Barr, MFA political director, told the ambassador that “it is unthinkable to hear these comments while Israel is being attacked by a terrorist organization, millions of Israeli citizens are sitting in shelters, and being killed and injured”
Minister Coveney had summoned the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland Ophir Kariv to a meeting on Tuesday. Coveney told him that the loss of life in Gaza due to Israeli air strikes was “completely unacceptable”. Speaking to RTÉ’s News at One, Ophir Kariv said Israel “never targets civilians”.
Kyle O’Sullivan has been Irish Ambassador to Israel since 2019. Meanwhile, the embassy retweeted several statements from Minister Coveney in recent days, condemning violence on both sides of the conflict.
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