By The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, has accused the Israeli Embassy in Dublin of circulating a letter he wrote to the President of Iran. The Israeli Embassy has dismissed Higgins’ claims as “baseless,” calling the comments “highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous.”
The Irish president was criticized last month when the letter to Masoud Pezeshkian became public following Pezeshkian’s appointment as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Speaking at the United Nations in New York on Sunday, Higgins said he believed that his letter had been circulated by Israeli officials.
“You should ask where the criticism came from, and how the letter was circulated, and by whom, and for what purpose,” Higgins said.
When pressed by journalists on where he thought the letter came from, Higgins said he believed “it was circulated from the Israeli embassy” in Dublin.
Higgins said he wrote the letter to congratulate the new head of state, and that there had been some interest in re-starting nuclear talks with Iran. He told Pezeshkian that Iran had a “crucial role” in fostering peace in the Middle East after the death of its previous president, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash in May.
“I regret, of course, the circumstances that brought about the election and take this opportunity to repeat the condolences of the people of Ireland for the death of your predecessor, President Raisi,” the letter read.
The letter appeared in the Jewish Chronicle, and prompted criticism in both the UK and Ireland.
In a statement, the Israeli Embassy said: “Unfortunately in Ireland, since the October 7 invasion by Hamas and massacre in Israel, which triggered this awful war, Israel has been subjected to a high level of malicious statements and accusations that have often manifested as incitement to hatred.
“This baseless accusation is highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous, and the embassy rejects it completely.”
The statement further added that it is the “burden of the author to defend the letter’s content, which did not mention the threat Iran poses in the region.”
The spokesperson referred to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on concert-goers in Israel when about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza has said more than 40,000 people have been brutally slaughtered in the territory because of Israel’s response.
“Standard diplomatic practice”
A spokesperson for the Irish president’s office said: “The exchange of letters upon the inauguration of a new head of state is standard diplomatic practice for countries that share diplomatic relations.
“As is usual practice, the letter in question was drafted based on material supplied by the Department of Foreign Affairs and issued via standard diplomatic channels. Such letters have been sent to incoming presidents of Iran for a number of decades.
“In response to questions, the president indicated his view that this standard diplomatic letter had been circulated over the summer and presented as being something out of the ordinary.
“The president made no accusations of a leak, he solely referred to the letter being circulated. In this context, the question of reporting does not arise.”
The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Simon Harris, also at the UN in New York, defended the Irish president, stating his primary concern was the loss of life in Gaza.
Harris said that Israel “continues 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 really conform with standard diplomatic protocol between heads of state,” Harris said.
“Certainly, my focus here in New York is not on an exchange of letters but is on the fact that there is still a horrific, bloody humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Middle East. I have no interest whatsoever in in any tit-for-tat exchanges with the Israeli embassy or the government of a country that is permitting this humanitarian crisis to continue,” Harris added.
