IT IS “DEEP slander” to accuse the Irish people of being antisemitic because of criticisms of the Israeli government, President Michael D Higgins has said.

Higgins made the comments after Israel announced it was closing its embassy in Dublin on Sunday.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Ireland of “antisemitic rhetoric”.

“The actions, double standards, and antisemitic rhetoric of the Irish government against Israel are rooted in efforts to delegitimise and demonise the Jewish state,” Sa’ar said.

At a ceremony at Áras an Uachtaráin where the Palestinian Ambassador was appointed – a formality that is part of Ireland recognising Palestinian statehood – Higgins said it was a “historic” and “great” day.

He also criticised the Israeli government’s accusations against Ireland and said it would not change Ireland’s stance.

“I think it’s very important to express, as president of Ireland, to say that the Irish people are antisemitic is a deep slander,” Higgins said.

“To suggest because one criticises Prime Minister Netanyahu that one is antisemitic is such a gross defamation and slander.

“Originally… I put it down to lack of experience but I saw later that it was part of a pattern to damage Ireland.”

He said Ireland “cannot be knocked off our principle support of international law” and accused Benjamin Netanyahu of breaching international law “and the sovereignty of three of his neighbours”. 

Gideon Sa’ar cited a number of reasons for closing the embassy. They included Ireland recognising a Palestinian state “during attacks on Israel”, and what he said was an attempt to “redefine ‘genocide’ in international law to support baseless claims against Israel at the International Court of Justice”.

The government recently announced it would formally intervene in the case taken by South Africa at the ICJ, where Israel stands accused of genocide. 

When making that announcement, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said, “Ireland will be asking the ICJ to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes the commission of genocide by a state”.

Martin did not call for the definition contained in the Genocide Convention to be changed. 

Taioseach Simon Harris, who Sa’ar referred to personally as an “antisemite” has rejected claims of antisemitism, while the Tánaiste said the government’s position has been based on upholding international law.

Martin also said they would not close Ireland’s embassy in Israel while the Israeli ambassador to Ireland said that diplomatic relations would not be severed completely. 

Addressing Palestinian ambassador Dr Jilan Abdalmajid, Higgins said: “I want to assure you as the Tánaiste has and as the Taoiseach has, we will not be deflected.”

Higgins said that the killing of 45,000 people in Gaza, 17,000 of whom are children; injuries in Gaza being treated without pain relief; and the Palestinian enclave having the largest number of child amputees in the world is what Ireland bases its position on.

He said the Irish position has been informed by “the details of these tragic breaches of international law”. 

Dr Abdalmajid said she was honoured to become the Palestinian ambassador and said Palestine and Ireland had been “bound” by friendship and cooperation.

“I take this opportunity to express our people’s and our leadership’s deep appreciation for the honourable stance of Ireland and its leadership in supporting the legitimate rights of our people in self-determination and in our quest for freedom and independence,” she said before thanking him in Irish.

Higgins wished the Palestinian people health and happiness “in the face of the most terrible of adversities”.

He and his wife Sabina embraced Dr Abdalmajid, her husband and her three children before they departed from Aras an Uachtaráin.

With reporting from Press Association