National: 'Keep those lines of communication open' - Taoiseach says no plans to expel Israeli ambassador

Leo Varadkar has made the Governments position clear today when he said there were no plans to expel Israeli ambassador Dana Erlich.

The Taoiseach was responding to calls made from opposition party People Before Profit during leader's questions in the Dáil today.

The calls were made following controversial remarks made by Ms Erlich regarding comments made by President Michael D Higgins on whether Israel had breached international law.

The ambassador said she was frustrated by President Higgins' comments calling them "misinformation" while also saying Ireland is not a neutral country in relation to the war in Israel and Palestine. 

Varadkar told the Dáil:

"In relation to the ambassador, we don't have any plans to expel any ambassador.

"We didn't expel the Russian ambassador, and I don't think there is anyone in this house who's been as supportive of Ukraine's battle for freedom as I have, but we took a very particular view that it's important to have some line of communications open and that's why we have ambassadors.

"If you expel an ambassador or close an embassy, the only line of communication is minister to minister, or sec gen (secretary general) to sec gen, and that's if you can even get a phone call.

"We have citizens in Palestine, we have citizens in Israel, we have citizens in Russia, it's important that we're able to keep those lines of communication open. It serves nothing to close them. Even countries at war with each other have ambassadors and that's for that obvious reason."

Speaking at Leaders' Questions, the Taoiseach said he will do his best to persuade EU countries to agree a common position on what is happening in Israel and Gaza. However, he told the Sinn Féin Leader that you have to be sensitive of other EU countries' historical perspective pic.twitter.com/YTkrHukijk

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 24, 2023

The Taoiseach also had some choice words for Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald saying "My fear is that if you were Taoiseach you would not make friends, you would make enemies", after McDonald insisted Varadkar should seek an EU call for an "unequivocal full ceasefire" between Israel and Gaza at the summit in Brussels later in the week and "demand Israel stop its slaughter of the Palestinian people".

While Varadkar insisted he would do his "best at that meeting to persuade the European Union to adopt a common position" but that "It may not be possible for us to adopt a common position".

"We all have our independent foreign policies, but I will certainly do the best I can to persuade our colleagues in all European countries to agree a common position."

The Taoiseach also said that if McDonald were to become Taoiseach, her approach would be to "attend the meeting, point the finger, tell people off and do a press conference afterwards", before adding,

"That's not how you do this job. It's not how you actually get things done in international affairs.

"You have to build relationships. You have to build partnerships, have to build alliances, you have to develop colleagues, and try to use your powers of persuasion.

"That's particularly the case for a small country like Ireland, which is not a major economic power of major political power. We use the power of persuasion, reputation and contacts. That's how we do things and how we achieve things."