Palestinian peacemaker supports motion to expel Israeli ambassador to Ireland
Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish says Ireland should expel the Israeli ambassador. Picture: Nick Bradshaw
Opinions are divided in the Dáil on whether or not to expel the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dana Elrich, by removing her diplomatic status.
The motion, due to be put forward by the Social Democrats on Wednesday, looks set to receive support from Opposition parties.
Critics of the move, both within the Government and beyond it, feel it will only weaken Ireland’s position on the diplomatic stage.
Perhaps surprisingly, one man, a Palestinian doctor who has fought for peace between Israel and Palestine through diplomacy for decades, supports the motion to expel.
Doctor and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Izzeldin Abuelaish believes this is not a matter of cutting communication, but rather it sends a clear message to Israel.
Any action must be taken, he insists, if it might prevent the death of more innocent people.
For him, the expulsion would not be an emotional response; it would serve to remind Israel of its humanitarian and legal duties.
Abuelaish grew up in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza.
He was the first Palestinian doctor to receive a staff position at an Israeli hospital. His Palestinian children attended peace camps alongside Israeli children.
He was dubbed the ‘Martin Luther King’ of the Middle East but moved to Canada in 2009 following the death of his three daughters, Bessan, 21, Mayarv, 15, and Aya, 13, and his niece Noor, 17, who were killed when an Israeli tank fired on his home.
In recent weeks, a further 25 members of his family have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Holding up pictures of his loved ones in an interview with Piers Morgan last week, he told viewers that his family became “piles of bodies” following October 7.
He wants us to know their names, and see their faces. From within the depths of trauma, his call is for peace.
But he does not see Ireland’s continued conversations with the Israeli ambassador as a necessary part of that.
“We need to take any action that helps save lives and to encourage wisdom at this time. What Ireland needs to make clear is that Irish people do not have anything against Israeli people in general," he said.
"Unity is what is most needed now. We need people to follow international rules and laws," he said.
"That is what is needed. We must let the Israeli government know that they cannot have a free hand in this. The world must accept the equality of all humans and the freedom of all humans.”
The Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, insisted to reporters last week that Israel’s actions in Gaza are in line with international law.
In the face of this refusal to accept reality, silence is not an option, according to the peace-seeking doctor.
“If the Irish Government has communicated with the ambassador and she is still defending what her government is doing, if she is still excusing it and refusing to support a ceasefire, well then that is contradictory to what the Government of Ireland accepts as law," he said.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is standing by his comment that Israel’s response to the Hamas attack is “more approaching revenge”.
Nonetheless, Micheál Martin believes the ambassador should retain her status in Ireland as a means to keep channels of communication open.
The Tánaiste held the same position when there were similar calls to remove the Russian ambassador Yury Filatov in March 2022.
Then, as now, he describes the ambassador as “fundamental to international diplomacy” and “a very basic necessity of maintaining links and channels of communications with other states.”
“Having diplomatic relations does not mean one endorses the policies of any given state, but it’s an essential aspect of the conduct of foreign policy that we would maintain diplomatic channels and particularly in the context of a dispute, a conflict, a major war,” Mr Martin said.
According to Dr Abuelaish, there is a more fundamental issue at play. He believes that the Israeli government is now acting beyond the parameters of what is acceptable.
“We must get them down the diplomatic path. This is a positive action if it highlights that we all have human rights that are equal.
"We all need to make it clear to the Israeli government that what they are doing contravenes international law. We must let them know that the ball is in their court.”
Framing the expulsion as a tactical measure to bring about peace may prove important but the question remains: Will putting the ball in the Israeli court change, possibly redirect the game, or end Ireland’s participation in it altogether?
