Irish president accuses Israeli embassy of circulating letter to Iranian leader

Irish President Michael D. Higgins has accused the Israeli embassy in Ireland of circulating a private letter he sent to newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The letter, which was published by the Jewish Chronicle, has drawn criticism from Fine Gael TDs in Ireland.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, the Irish President expressed concern over the dissemination of the correspondence, urging people to question how and why it was circulated. “Why don’t you ask where it came from? … Where the criticism came from and how the letter was circulated and by whom and for what purpose?” he said.

He clarified that the letter was standard diplomatic correspondence, similar to those he has written to other heads of state, stressing peace and diplomacy in the Middle East. However, he added that he had “no idea” how the Israeli embassy obtained the letter.

The Israeli embassy quickly rejected Higgins’ allegations, calling them “baseless accusations” and stating that the content of the letter should be defended by the author. In a statement, the embassy described Higgins’ comments as “inflammatory” and “slanderous.”

“This baseless accusation is highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous, and the embassy rejects it completely,” the statement read. “The fact remains that the letter was written, and therefore it is the burden of the author to defend its content, which did not mention the threat Iran poses in the region.”

The embassy criticized the letter for omitting Iran’s role in supporting terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah and its continued calls for Israel’s destruction. The letter also reportedly ignored Iran’s domestic human rights violations.

Since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, the Israeli embassy noted that Israel has faced “malicious statements and accusations” in Ireland, which it claims have sometimes incited hatred.

In response to the controversy, a spokesperson for the Irish President clarified that Higgins did not accuse the Israeli embassy of leaking the letter, but rather of circulating it. The spokesman emphasized that exchanging letters with new heads of state is standard diplomatic practice and that similar letters have been sent to incoming Iranian presidents for decades.

The Israeli embassy in Ireland has been without a resident ambassador since May, when Ambassador Dana Erlich was recalled following Ireland’s recognition of a Palestinian state. The embassy has cited an increase in “anti-Israel discourse” in Ireland as contributing to the tense diplomatic environment.

While the Irish President has remained firm on the matter of his letter, he also touched on domestic issues, including Ireland’s housing crisis. When asked about the government’s handling of the crisis, Higgins admitted that the situation had “failed in many dimensions” and criticized the current housing policy for relying too heavily on private sector solutions.

He also questioned the effectiveness of policies related to immigration, dismissing claims that changes in benefits could act as a deterrent. Higgins noted that his study of migration, dating back to 1968, had found little evidence to support such measures.