A Mayo View: A president showing international leadership when it’s needed most

President Michael D. Higgins sometimes comes under fire for his outspoken comments.

But he rarely strays too far from the truth, and particularly so when it comes to calling out the Israeli government and its scandalous, utterly disgraceful and brutally violent behaviour towards Palestine and its people.

For too many years - and indeed decades - political leaders throughout the globe have been reluctant to call Israel to account and, consequently, the situation has got progressively worse.

But not Michael D., who, to his credit, went on the offensive when Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had the audacity of accusing Ireland of 'anti-semitic rhetoric'.

“The actions, double standards, and anti-semitic rhetoric of the Irish government against Israel are rooted in efforts to delegitimise and demonise the Jewish state,” he articulated in a statement which also referenced the fact that Ireland had remained neutral during World War Two, opting to not take up arms against Hitler and his unforgivable atrocities against the Jewish people and others.

So annoyed is the Israeli government that it has closed its embassy in Dublin at a time when a Palestinian Ambassador is appointed to Ireland – a formality that is part of Ireland recognising Palestinian statehood.

Gideon Sa’ar cited a number of reasons for closing the embassy. They included Ireland recognising a Palestinian state “during attacks on Israel”, and what he said was an attempt to “redefine ‘genocide’ in international law to support baseless claims against Israel at the International Court of Justice."

Now the fact that Mr. Sa’ar should also cite Ireland's neutrality during World War Two in the same breath as lambasting Ireland for 'demonising the Jewish state' is unfounded and ridiculous in the extreme as Ireland provided safe haven for many Jewish families during and after the war, including here in Castlebar, where a section of the town was once widely known as 'Little Jerusalem.'

In any event, our president did not let him away with it, and rightly so.

“To say that the Irish people are anti-semitic is a deep slander. And to suggest because one criticises Prime Minister Netanyahu that one is anti-semitic is such a gross defamation and slander," he stated.

He further emphasised that Ireland “cannot be knocked off our principle support of international law” and further accused Benjamin Netanyahu of breaching international law “and the sovereignty of three of his neighbours."

He also stated that the killing of 45,000 people in Gaza, 17,000 of whom are children; injuries in Gaza being treated without pain relief; and the Palestinian enclave having the largest number of child amputees in the world is what Ireland bases its position on.

Mr. Higgins added the Irish position is informed by “the details of these tragic breaches of international law."

The row between Mr. Higgins and the Israeli foreign minister is significant because it shows that the Israeli government is flawed in its judgement, is far too inward-looking and cannot take constructive criticism without getting into a huff.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.