‘Diplomacy of distraction’: Irish Prime Minister makes resounding statement that ‘nobody is going to silence Ireland’

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris is making waves on TikTok for his viral response to Israel’s closure of its embassy in Ireland, saying the decision is evidence of “diplomacy of distraction.”

For context, Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar this week announced that he would close the Israel embassy in Dublin because of “the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government.” Sa’ar said the Republic of Ireland had crossed “every red line” by its steadfast of unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state. Part of this included Ireland’s backing of South Africa, which recently launched legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and accused the country of “genocide.” 

“The actions and anti-Semitic rhetoric used by Ireland against Israel are rooted in the de-legitimisation and demonisation of the Jewish state, along with double standards,” Sa’ar said following the decision to close the Israeli embassy. Now, Harris has quipped back against the comments, saying the decision to close the embassy “works as a distraction.” Speaking with reporters, the Prime Minister said the move by Israel means the discourse around is focused on Ireland, when the question should be about Israel’s role in the conflict in the Middle East. “What about Israel’s actions?,” Harris said, before questioning what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “doing to the innocent children of Gaza.” 

“This is the diplomacy of distraction,” Harris added. While the Prime Minister itted that Israel has “every right to close the embassy,” he nonetheless described the decision as “deeply regrettable” while vowing to continue to “work diplomatically” with Sa’ar and Netanyahu. Despite the punishment endured as a result of his government’s stance, Harris remained confident in his denouncement of the situation in Gaza, saying “nobody is going to silence Ireland.” He reiterated Ireland’s position — which he said has “been clear since day one” — by both condemning the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel while also acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. 

“What’s happening in Gaza is extraordinarily serious,” Harris said. “There are innocent children who are dying, who are being maimed, who are suffering.” In contravenes international law.” A clip of Harris’ response has garnered from some TikTok s, who said the Prime Minister is being “very responsive to the problem” and commending him for his “statesmanship, diplomacy and accuracy.”

Ireland isn’t the only country to have taken a firm stance in response to Israel’s actions during the war, with Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, and Nicaragua all severing diplomatic ties with the country over the course of this year.  South Africa and Turkey, meanwhile, have both recalled their ambassadors from Israel. 

Harris isn’t the only UK leader to have weighed in on international affairs in recent months. In November, Patrick Harvie — co-leader of Scotland’s Green Party — went world leaders (including Netanyahu) to react to the re-election of Trump, who, for his part, broadly called for an end to the Israel-Gaza war during his campaign and promised to bring “peace in the Middle East”… without detailing any specific plans.