[JPost] "Quit calling us out for our disgusting behaviour"
Irish President Michael D. Higgins said that Israeli accusations of deep-rooted Irish antisemitism were "deep slander" and accused Israel of seeking to build settlements in Egypt in statements to the press on Tuesday.
| How utterly stupid. Egypt never revoked the law passed back in the 1950s making it illegal for Jewish males over the age of 18 to live in the country, which is why the historically vigorous Jewish community there that dates back to 650 BC (almost a century before the fall of the First Temple) is now reduced to under twenty elderly females — three in Cairo and the rest in Alexandria. What use would it be to Israel to have settlements there without any men? |
Higgins's statements come after the Israeli Foreign Ministry closed the embassy in Ireland because of "actions and antisemitic rhetoric used by Ireland against Israel."
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a Sunday statement that went with the announcement that he believes these actions delegitimized and demonized the Jewish state. "Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel," he said.
Higgins told Irish media on Tuesday that he was deeply concerned about Sa'ar's accusations, and felt as if they were intended to harm Ireland.
| Why would Israel bother? Ireland has absolutely nothing that Israel wants or needs, beyond a sentimental connection for the thousands of Irish Jews who settled in Israel in the 1950s. |
"I take it as very serious business to actually brand a people,
| “…but I’m going to do it anyway, because they’re icky Jooooooos…” |
because in fact they disagree with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who's in breach of so many bits of international law and has breached the sovereignty of three of his neighbors in relation to Lebanon, Syria... and would in fact to have a settlement in Egypt," Higgins said to Irish media, as seen in a video from RTE News on X/Twitter.
In a new English-language statement, Sa’ar says: “Once an antisemitic liar — always an antisemitic liar,” going on to defend Israel’s actions on all three fronts.
“From Lebanese territory, Israel’s sovereignty was breached for over a year,” he says. “For no reason and unprovoked, Hezbollah joined Hamas on October 8th [2023] and since then fired tens of thousands of missiles, rockets and drones at Israeli citizens and communities. Israel did what any country would — it defended itself against a brutal aggressor.”
On Syria, Sa’ar says: “While Assad’s regime disintegrated, armed groups entered the buffer zone and attacked UNDOF forces, in violation of the Disengagement Agreement from 1974. Israel temporarily entered a few limited points to prevent the threat of radical Islamists against its citizens and communities. Israel will not wait for another [onslaught nresembling what Hamas did on] October 7th [2023] on any of its borders.”
And regarding the Egypt settlement claim, he says: “Higgins invented the claim that Israel seeks to form settlements there. In the context of our peace agreement with Egypt, Israel withdrew from a huge area — all of the Sinai desert, and uprooted all of its communities there. This peace agreement has been maintained since 1979.”
Concluding his combative statement, Sa’ar brings up Ireland’s failure to join the Allies in fighting Nazi Germany in World War II.
“Let us not forget that Ireland was at best neutral during World War II. At that time, the free world was fighting Hitler’s axis while Ireland sat on the side and did nothing.”
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