Ireland’s Jewish community has called on newly elected President Catherine Connolly to serve as a unifying figure, despite deep concern over her past remarks regarding Hamas and Israel, the Jewish Chronicle reports.
Connolly, backed by major left-wing parties, won a landslide victory over the weekend to become the Republic of Ireland’s tenth president, securing 914,143 first preference votes (63%).
Connolly is known for her anti-Israel rhetoric. In September, she 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.”
In October 2021, Connolly - then deputy chairperson of the lower house - claimed in a parliamentary question that Israel was seeking to “accomplish Jewish supremacy.”
Despite these remarks, Jewish leaders in Ireland expressed hope for constructive engagement. Ireland’s Chief Rabbi, Yoni Wieder, congratulated Connolly and urged her to “engage directly” with the Jewish community.
“There are certainly concerns within our community about the positions Connolly has taken regarding Hamas,” Wieder said in a statement quoted by the Jewish Chronicle. “She has described them as ‘part of the fabric of the Palestinian people,’ yet seems entirely untroubled by that reality.”
He added, “She appears not to object to their remaining in power, even as they openly beat and execute their own people. Such views do not reflect the outlook of someone committed to a secure and peaceful future.”
Rabbi Wieder emphasized the importance of dialogue: “I would hope that President Connolly will take the opportunity in due course to engage directly with Ireland’s Jewish community, to hear our concerns and to better understand how the conflict continues to affect our small community here.”
Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, also extended congratulations, saying, “The Presidency represents all the people of Ireland. It is a symbol of unity, conscience, and compassion.”
“We trust that these enduring values will continue to guide the President’s leadership and inspire confidence at home and abroad,” Cohen said. “The Jewish community in Ireland looks forward to working constructively with the President, as we have with her predecessors.”
Connolly, 68, will succeed Michael Higgins as Ireland’s president and be 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.