Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin rejected claims that Ireland's sharp criticism of Israel has crossed into antisemitism as tensions flared around a politically charged soccer match between the countries Sunday, with Irish players holding a last-minute vote over whether to boycott the game. Martin, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital this week in New York, outlined why Ireland has taken such a staunch position against the Israeli government's conduct of the war in Gaza, calling its military response "absolutely disproportionate" while pressing Israel to "change strategy" and calling for increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. Martin argued that Ireland's own history — particularly its experience ending decades of conflict in Northern Ireland — gives the country a role to play as a voice for peace on the international stage, a theme he returned to while discussing Ukraine and the ongoing debate over Irish reunification.
"I think for the vast majority of people it does not," Martin said when asked directly whether anti-Israel sentiment in Ireland had crossed the line into antisemitism. "We have no toleration for antisemitism, none," Martin added. NEW YORK TIMES ISSUES CORRECTION, DELETES LINE QUESTIONING IF ISRAELIS WERE VICTIMS OF OCT 7 TERROR ATTACK The extraordinary player vote came after months of pressure surrounding the UEFA Nations League fixture on Sunday, with more than 160 Irish sports figures calling for a boycott and players themselves publicly questioning whether the match should go ahead.
A "significant majority" of players ultimately voted on Saturday to play the game, while one player left the squad after expressing his wish not to take part. In the interview, Martin strongly condemned Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack and defended Israel's right to exist in security. "First of all, we condemned, absolutely, the outrageous terrorist attack by Hamas in October," Martin told Fox News Digital.
"We believe in a two-state solution," Martin said. "We believe that Israel, of course, has a right to exist in security and its people need to be guaranteed of security. But likewise, Palestinians should have a right to live in their homeland in a peaceful way." "There are many peaceful voices in Palestine that I've met who want peaceful coexistence with Israel." Martin said Ireland's strongly pro-Palestinian position was rooted partly in its own history.
"There's a very strong pro-Palestinian position in Ireland," Martin said. "Ireland, the Irish government and the Irish people, probably because of our own history, but also because of a sense of right and justice and fairness." Thousands have taken to the streets across Ireland since the war began, while national broadcaster RTÉ refused to air this year's Eurovision Song Contest after Israel's participation was confirmed. Ireland spent centuries under British rule before most of the island gained independence a little more than a century ago, while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom.
He said Israel's military response to the Oct. 7 attack had resonated deeply in Ireland and called for increased humanitarian aid into Gaza. "We want humanitarian aid going into Gaza. There's not enough humanitarian aid going in," Martin said, pointing to the conditions facing roughly 2 million people there, including shortages of food and shelter and children without access to education.
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