Catherine Connolly, a far-left independent politician known for her repeated anti-Israel rhetoric, was elected on Saturday as President of Ireland in a landslide victory over center-right candidate Heather Humphreys of Fine Gael.
Connolly secured 63% of first-preference votes, compared to Humphreys’ 29%, according to official results. The Irish presidency is largely ceremonial, but Connolly’s election has raised concerns in pro-Israel circles due to her history of inflammatory statements.
In September, Connolly sparked outrage when she described the Hamas terrorist organization as “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people.”
Although she later claimed to “utterly condemn” Hamas’s actions, she simultaneously accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza. She has also labeled Israel as “behaving like a terrorist state.”
Connolly, 68, a former barrister and lawmaker since 2016, has also voiced opposition to the European Union’s “militarization” in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
She will succeed Michael Higgins as Ireland’s 10th president and the third woman to hold the office. Higgins himself stirred up controversy when he lashed out at Israel last year.
Responding to Israel’s shuttering its embassy in Dublin due to Ireland’s anti-Israel actions, Higgins said that its accusations that the Irish people are antisemitic are a “gross defamation” and “deep slander”, while claiming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is in breach of so many bits of international law and has breached the sovereignty of Lebanon, Syria and would like to have settlement in Egypt.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded to Higgins and said, “Once an antisemitic liar - always an antisemitic liar.”
In January, Higgins took advantage of his speech at an event in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day to criticize Israel.