LAST UPDATE | 21 May

ISRAEL’S NON-RESIDENT AMBASSADOR to Ireland Dana Erlich has been delivered a démarche from a senior official of the Department of Foreign Affairs condemning shots fired in the vicinity of a group of diplomats in the West Bank.

Two diplomats from Ireland were with the group, the Tánaiste has said.

A démarche is essentially a formal diplomatic communication sent to express the official position of a body. It is often used to protest against actions or communicate dissatisfaction.

A number of EU countries are demanding an explanation for the firing of live rounds during the delegation’s visit to the West Bank.

Tánaiste Simon Harris said he was “shocked and appalled” by the incident.

“Fortunately, no-one was hurt,” he wrote in a post to X.

“This is completely unacceptable and I condemn it in the strongest terms.”

Erlich was told that Ireland regards the incident as clear breach of obligations under international law, as regards to the protection of diplomats under diplomatic law.

She was asked to register Ireland’s condemnation and demand for a full explanation with the Israeli authorities. 

Erlich was recalled to Israel last May following Ireland’s official recognition of Palestine as a state. She has continuously criticised Ireland for actions taken in support of Palestine and in December, the Israeli embassy in Dublin was shut down.

This evening, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in a statement that he “unreservedly [condemns] this aggressive, intimidatory and violent act. This is not and must never be a normal way to behave”.

He said that Ireland and the international community will be “demanding answers” from Israel on the matter.

“Diplomats play a very important and vital role representing countries. They should be enabled to go about their work in an unimpeded manner and should never fear becoming targets,” Martin concluded.

AFP footage from the scene of the incident in the city of Jenin – a frequent target of Israeli military raids – showed the delegation and accompanying journalists running for cover as shots are heard.

The Palestinian Authority accused the IDF troops of “deliberately” shooting at the delegation.

A large number of EU countries have immediately come out against the incident.

Italy has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome following the incident, while Belgium has demanded a “convincing explanation” over the attack on a ”clearly identifiable” convoy.

Portugal has summoned the Israeli ambassador following the incident, which it said “calls international law into question”. A Portuguese diplomat was part of the delegation shot at. 

Spain has said it “strongly condemns” the actions of the Israeli occupation forces, adding that it is “in contact with other affected countries to jointly coordinate a response”. Spain’s foreign minister said that the country is summoning Israel’s most senior representative over the incident.

Israel recalled its ambassador to Spain after Madrid recognised a Palestinian state a year ago.

Turkey, Egypt, and Germany have also condemned the shooting. An employee of the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem was with the group.

Germany, an ally of Israel, had a diplomat accompanied by a driver within the convoy targeted by the IDF soldiers. A Dutch diplomat was also present, and the Netherlands has strongly condemned the incident. 

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called on Israel to hold “accountable” those responsible for the shooting.

“Any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable,” Kallas said. 

No injuries were reported in the incident.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned “the heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces, which deliberately targeted by live fire an accredited diplomatic delegation to the State of Palestine during a field visit”.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “the delegation deviated from the approved route and entered an area where they were not authorised to be.”

It said that “soldiers operating in the area fired warning shots to distance them away”, adding that it “regrets the inconvenience caused”.

An AFP journalist heard shots echo from the area of the Jenin refugee camp.

A video released by the Palestinian foreign ministry showed two men in Israeli army uniform pointing guns at a group of people from behind metal gates while shots ring out.

AFP was not immediately able to verify the video, but the journalist in Jenin said the footage appears to show the camp’s eastern entrance.

It comes a day after the UK announced a pause in trade deal negotiations with Israel and the EU promised a review of its own trade agreement with the country as a result of its continued 11-week blockade of aid entering the besieged Gaza strip.

The Israeli military, which in January launched a major operation in the Jenin area, has recently installed metal gates as seen in the video at the entrances to the camp.

A European diplomat present during the visit told AFP he heard “repeated shots” coming from inside Jenin refugee camp.

“We were doing a visit with the governor of Jenin to the border of the camp to see the destruction”, the diplomat said.

“It was the last part of the visit and suddenly we heard shots, coming from the camp. It was not like once or twice. It was like repeated shots. So at that moment, we just all started running back to the cars”, the diplomat added.

Ahmad al-Deek, political advisor for the Palestinian foreign ministry, told AFP he was leading the delegation.

“We condemn this reckless act by the Israeli army, especially at a time when it had given the diplomatic delegation an impression of the life the Palestinian people are living”, he said.

Since Israel launched its large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank, the Jenin refugee camp has emptied of its inhabitants and taken over by troops.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said that by 31 March, the operation had displaced some 16,000 people in Jenin.

With reporting from © AFP 2025, Keith Kelly and Emma Hickey