Irish President Michael D. Higgins accused the Israeli embassy of leaking a letter where he congratulated his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, on his new position in office.
Higgins made the accusation at the UN on Sunday, telling reporters he “certainly” knew it was the embassy in Dublin that leaked the letter.
“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?” multiple sources quoted him as saying. Higgins did not provide evidence.
In his letter, Higgins told Pezeshkian that Iran had a “crucial role” in trying to achieve peace in the Middle East.
Response by the Israeli embassy in Dublin
In response to Higgins’s claim, the Israeli Embassy in Ireland called it a “baseless accusation” and that it is “highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous, and the embassy rejects it completely.”
“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, that it calls for Israel’s destruction, that it arms and funds terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, not to mention the violations of human rights against its citizens,” the embassy said in a statement.
The embassy also said that since October 7, Ireland has subjected Israel “to a high level of malicious statements and accusations that have often manifested as incitement to hatred.”
The embassy had initially responded to Higgins’s letter at the beginning of the month, saying that “sending a congratulatory letter to the president of Iran could have served as an opportunity to address this theocratic dictatorship which oppresses its people, especially women, and question their policies and express concerns from their actions.”
Defending the Irish President’s words
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, who was also at the UN, defended Higgins, the BBC reported, stating that his colleague was concerned with civilians in Gaza while simultaneously accusing Israel of continuing to allow a horrific humanitarian situation to continue.
“I think the Israeli embassy should be focusing on things other than amplifying, circulating or referencing a letter that does conform with normal diplomatic protocol between heads of state, the BBC quoted Harris as saying.
“I have no interest whatsoever in getting into any sort of tit-for-tat or back-or-forth with the Israeli embassy or the government of a country that is continuing to allow this horrific humanitarian situation to continue.”