Ireland considers replacing Israeli Embassy with Palestinian Museum
A view of the Israeli Embassy building in Dublin, as the Israeli flag is lowered after the embassy's closing decision, Dublin, Ireland, December 20, 2024. (AA Photo)
The Israeli Embassy in Dublin removed its national flag Friday, signaling the first steps toward its closure amid the reports that the building could potentially be repurposed as a Palestinian Museum, though Irish officials have not yet decided its fate.
Faisel Saleh, the Palestinian American businessman who founded the Palestine Museum U.S., confirmed that inquiries are being made to establish a presence in Ireland. “We thought it’d be a good idea because we’ve been looking for places to have a permanent space, and it’d be good to have a presence in Ireland,” Saleh said.
“It’s a lot more efficient if you had a permanent space. But it would also have to make sense financially for us. We are still waiting to get some information. If it happened, we would open it as a museum with permanent exhibitions,” he added.
The Irish government has not yet made a decision on the building’s future.
On Dec. 15, Israel announced its decision to close the embassy, citing “extreme anti-Israel policies,” a claim the Irish government has denied.
In response, Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris rejected accusations of anti-Israeli sentiment, asserting that Ireland’s foreign policy is rooted in support for human rights, international law, and peace.
“The people of Ireland, the government of Ireland – this one and the next one – are not anti-Israeli,” Harris said during a European Union meeting in Brussels. “But we are pro-human rights, we are pro-international law, we are pro-peace, and we will never be intimidated or silenced into moving away from that.”
In early December, Ireland announced it would formally join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, seeking to expand the definition of genocide. Israel faces legal challenges, including a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, over its actions in Gaza.
The conflict, which began with an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, has resulted in the deaths of more than 45,300 people in Gaza, most of whom are women and children.
Meanwhile in November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
