Irish president faces backlash over speech welcoming Gaza ceasefire

Jewish organisations have attacked Irish President Michael Higgins for “politicising the war between Israel and Hamas” during a speech he gave on Holocaust Memorial Day. A senior rabbi described the statements as “deeply disheartening”.

Higgins, who was previously accused by the Israeli ambassador to Dublin of being “anti-Israel”, gave a speech at an event on the eve of National Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration. Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, some members of the Irish Jewish community of around 3,000 rejected Higgins’ invitation to attend the event.

During his speech, Higgins spoke about the war in Gaza, prompting many of the 300 attendees to leave in protest while others turned their backs, according to the Anadolu news agency.

“The thousands searching for relatives in the rubble in Gaza will welcome the long-overdue ceasefire for which there has been such a heavy price paid,” said the Irish prime minister.

However, Ireland’s chief rabbi, Yoni Wieder, told AFP on Monday that, “Ireland’s National Holocaust Memorial ought to be a time to remember those who suffered unspeakable horrors at the hands of the Nazis. It is deeply disheartening that President Higgins opted to politicise it by singling out this war and taking issue with Israel’s response to the atrocities of 7 October.”

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