Ireland and Israel maintain foreign relations. Relations between the two countries have been complex and generally strained due to their conflicting positions on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Relations deteriorated significantly during the Gaza war that began in October 2023, amid Ireland's criticism of Israel's war crimes in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory. The Irish government, led by Taoiseach Simon Harris (and previously Leo Varadkar), repeatedly called for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and was among the most outspoken European critics of Israel's conduct during the conflict.
Diplomatic tensions intensified in 2024 when Ireland joined Spain and Norway in recognizing the State of Palestine, prompting strong criticism and diplomatic protests from Israel. In late 2024, Israel closed its embassy in Dublin, citing Ireland's "anti-Israel" stance. In January 2025, Ireland announced it would join South Africa's Gaza genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
History 20th century
During the first half of the 20th century, tactics used by the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence inspired Zionist paramilitaries engaged in the Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine against British rule. Lehi leader Yitzhak Shamir, inspired by IRA leader Michael Collins, ordered every Lehi fighter to carry a weapon with them at all times. Shamir's nickname among the various Zionist paramilitaries, "Michael" (pronounced ), derived from Collins' first name.
Against the background of growing antisemitism in interwar Europe, Ireland implemented constitutional protection of Jewish citizens under Article 44 of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, explicitly recognising the Jewish religious community among the country's recognised denominations. On 3 May 1937, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that "The Jewish religion is formally recognized in the new Free State constitution drawn up by President Eamon de Valera."
The Éamon de Valera Forest in Israel, near Nazareth, was dedicated in 1966, with Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol declaring the forest a "fitting expression of the traditional friendship between Ireland and Israel, which have so much in common."
Ireland extended de jure recognition to Israel in 1963, and both countries established diplomatic relations in 1975, when Ireland's ambassador to Switzerland was also accredited to Israel. Prior to that, Ireland had refused to establish relations due to Israel's alleged violations of UN Resolutions. In 1981, however, Ireland condemned Israel's attack on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor. In 1990, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was then Israeli deputy foreign minister, visited Ireland and met with Irish foreign minister Gerry Collins, lobbying strongly for the opening of an embassy in Dublin. Collins noted the historic sympathy towards Israel in Ireland had been damaged by "cases of Irish troops being brought home dead from Lebanon". In December 1993, Ireland reached an agreement on opening an Israeli embassy in Dublin, and the embassy opened on 29 January 1996.
Since 25 January 1996, Ireland has an embassy in Tel Aviv and Israel had an embassy in Dublin until its closure in 2024. The Israeli ambassador to Ireland is Dana Erlich, who took over the role from Lironne Bar-Sadeh in August 2023, and the Irish ambassador to Israel is Sonya McGuinness. Both countries are full members of the Union for the Mediterranean.
In 1978, the Irish Army contributed forces to Lebanon as part of UNIFIL, a UN peacekeeping force in Southern Lebanon, which was the scene of fierce fighting between Israeli forces and their proxy militias and Lebanese guerillas. From 1978 to 2000, Ireland contributed over 40,000 troops to UNIFIL, and was the country's largest military involvement outside its own borders. Tensions erupted between the two countries over alleged mistreatment of Irish forces by the Israel Defense Forces. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Irish Government regularly called the Israelis to criticise them over their treatment of Irish peacekeepers. Irish Foreign Minister Brian Lenihan said that much of his sympathy for Israel disappeared when he saw how Irish soldiers were treated. Irish forces were a major participant in the Battle of At Tiri, where UNIFIL troops withstood an attack by the South Lebanon Army, an Israeli-backed militia, after it attempted to set up a checkpoint in At Tiri. One Irish soldier was killed in the battle. Following the 2006 Lebanon War, Ireland deployed a unit of 150 troops to protect Finnish Army engineers.
In 1978, Aer Lingus, the national airline of Ireland, without prior agreement with the Irish government, secretly trained Egyptian Air Force pilots, at a time when Israel and Egypt were still in peace talks, and had yet to sign a treaty.
In 1987 Corporal Dermot McLoughlin of the Irish Defence Forces was serving in Lebanon as a member of the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) when he was killed after being hit by an Israeli tank shell. The Irish Army believed the incident to have been a "deliberate and unprovoked attack" by the Israeli forces, with the Irish Defence Minister Paddy O'Toole saying that he was "dismayed, disappointed and disgusted". The Israeli ambassador was summoned as a response.
2000 to 2019
In 2003, the Irish government opposed the building of Israel's security wall in the West Bank.
According to leaked diplomatic cables, following the 2006 Lebanon War, Ireland sought to "limit US weapons transfers to Israel" through its territory and Shannon Airport.
In 2010, Boaz Moda'i was named Israel's ambassador to Ireland. In the same year an Israeli embassy official was expelled from Ireland after it emerged that the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, had created eight fake Irish passports when they assassinated Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh. The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said Israel's action were "clearly unacceptable".
In 2012, Nurit Tinari-Modai, wife of the ambassador Boaz Moda'i, was appointed deputy ambassador. Noting that the appointment would be "reviewed annually", an Israeli Foreign Ministry source stated that Tinari-Modai was a "professional diplomat" who could have "secured a full ambassadorship on her own merits".
In March 2013, Alan Shatter, minister of Justice, Equality and Defence said, while visiting Israel, that "Ireland is a friend of Israel. We have a government in Ireland that wants a deeper engagement. But we also have a government in Ireland that is committed to the peace process." During that trip, it was announced that Ireland and Israel would start an initiative to work closely together on reducing road deaths in both countries.
In May 2014, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published the "ADL Global 100 survey" into global anti-Semitism. The survey ranked Ireland as "in the middle in comparison with other countries in Western Europe" in terms of responses to questions on attitudes to Israel and to Jewish people.
In September 2014, Irish UN peacekeepers on the Golan Heights rescued Filipino colleagues who were surrounded by Islamist extremists. Senior sources confirmed that Irish soldiers would "almost certainly" have been killed or taken hostage if it wasn't for the military intervention of the Israeli army, and that assistance from the Israeli army was "decisive" in the success of the rescue.
In November 2015, Alison Kelly became Ireland's ambassador to Israel, replacing Eamonn McKee. Kelly presented her credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin stating that her goal was to "continue to work to strengthen and expand the cooperation between our countries". Also in 2015, Zeev Boker became the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, presenting his credentials to the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.
2020 to present
In 2021, Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Irish parliament) unanimously passed a motion condemning the "de facto annexation" of Palestinian land.
As of September 2023, Ireland's ambassador to Israel was Sonya McGuinness, and Dana Erlich was Israel's ambassador to Ireland.
In December 2024, Israel announced that it would close its embassy in Dublin due to what it described as "the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government". On 20 December 2024, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs received notification of the closure of the embassy.
In January 2025, Dana Erlich confirmed that she would remain in the role of ambassador until mid-2025 at which point Israel would appoint a non-resident ambassador.
On 24 February 2025, Irish MEP, Lynn Boylan was refused entry to Israel along with French MEP Rima Hassan and other EU officials. They had been travelling as part of an EU delegation for discussions with Palestinian authorities. They had their passports and mobile devices seized and were detained and interrogated before being deported back to Brussels. Boylan said that no official reason had been given for the deportation. In response, the Israeli government said that "foreigners who have published a public call to impose a boycott on the State of Israel...will not be authorised to enter Israel".
In May 2025, Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ, sought a meeting with the European Broadcasting Union to discuss Israel's inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest. The request came in the context of "the ongoing events in the Middle East and by the horrific impact on civilians in Gaza, and the fate of Israeli hostages" and followed a call by the NUJ Dublin Broadcasting Branch to follow the lead of other European public service stations in seeking discussions on Israel's participation in the that year's event. The Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, criticised the move accusing RTÉ of "showing bias against Israel". Following the contest, RTÉ followed Spanish broadcaster, RTVE, in requesting a breakdown of the vote. The Irish jury had awarded Israel seven points, and received ten points from the public vote. The Irish delegation was one of five to boycott the 2026 contest over Israel's inclusion in it.
In May 2025, Ireland's president, President Michael D Higgins said accusations of anti-Semitism against those who criticise the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amount to "slander against Ireland". "If you criticise Netanyahu's policies you are then described as being anti-Semitic. That is a disgrace and a slander and it has been a slander against Ireland, against individuals, including myself, people who for example who have worked all their lives in relation to human rights activity," President Higgins said.
In November 2025, there was some controversy over a proposal by some members of Dublin City Council to rename Herzog Park in Dublin. Originally known as Orwell Quarry Park, the park was renamed in 1995 after Israeli President Chaim Herzog whose father, the former Chief Rabbi of Ireland Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, was Irish. Herzog's grandson Isaac Herzog, the sitting president of Israel, stated that the proposed "de-naming" of the park would be a "shameful and disgraceful move". Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Táiniste Simon Harris criticised the proposed vote, with Martin describing it as "divisive and wrong".
Commercial ties and tourism The commercial relationship between Israel and Ireland goes back to the early days of Israeli statehood. In 1988, Israeli exports to Ireland were valued at $23.5 million, while Irish exports to Israel were valued at $32.8 million. In 2010 Israeli imports from Ireland approached $520 million and exports to Ireland stood at $81 million.