Irish ambassador expresses 'surprise' at Israeli reaction to Leo Varadkar's Emily Hand tweet
Sonya McGuinness. File picture: Getty Images
The Irish ambassador to Israel has met with members of the Israeli government and expressed her "surprise" at the Israeli reaction to Irish statements on the release of Emily Hand.
Emily, 9, had been captured by Hamas during the October 7 attack and was released by militants on Saturday night in a deal which also saw Palestinians held in Israel released.
A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs said Sonya McGuinness had met with Daniel Meron of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on Monday.
Ms McGuinness had been summoned after Israeli ministers took exception to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's tweet about the release of the nine-year-old held captive by the terror group in Gaza.
Mr Varadkar had tweeted that “an innocent child who was lost has now been found” to which Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said the child had been kidnapped, and the comments were an attempt to “legitimise and normalise terror”.
This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family. An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered.
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) November 25, 2023
Mr Cohen posted on X at Mr Varadkar: “Mr Prime Minister, It seems you have lost your moral compass and need a reality check! Emily Hand was not ‘lost’, she was kidnapped by a terror organisation worse than Isis that murdered her stepmother."
The department statement said Ms McGuinness had given the full statements of both Mr Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheál Martin, and expressed surprise that the statements had been criticised.
"In the course of the meeting, the ambassador presented the Foreign Ministry with the full statements issued by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste following the release from captivity late on Saturday night of Irish-Israeli citizen Emily Hand.
"These statements referenced the traumatic experience endured by Emily and her family, reiterated thanks to international partners who had facilitated her freeing from captivity and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
"In this context, Ambassador McGuinness expressed surprise on the part of the Irish Government that these expressions of evident relief at Emily’s release had been publicly criticised by the Israeli government.
"The ambassador further reiterated today Ireland’s unequivocal position that all hostages held by Hamas should be immediately and unconditionally released; the importance of fully respecting international humanitarian law and getting desperately-needed humanitarian supplies to civilians in Gaza; that the current truce should become a sustainable humanitarian ceasefire; and that the international community must focus on a pathway to deliver a two-state solution which can allow the people of Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security as neighbours."
Meanwhile, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys said that she believed the Israeli government reprimanding Ms McGuinness had been an “overreaction”.
She added that the Irish Government would not move to summon the Israeli ambassador, saying that’s it would be “tit-for-tat” by doing so.
“In terms of the Israeli ambassador, we’re not getting into a tit-for-tat here. That’s not what we’re about.
“The Taoiseach made his comments in a wider spectrum and I think most Irish people know perfectly well that the Taoiseach condemns what happened.”
