Senator Gerard Craughwell has said that President Higgins has “lost the plot” after accusing the Israeli embassy of leaking a letter of congratulations he sent to the new head of Iran’s regime.
Last month Higgins penned the letter to the then newly elected President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkia who took up office in July after the helicopter crash death of his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi.
Speaking at a news conference at the United Nations in New York, President Higgins said that the letter was “circulated from the Israeli embassy”.
The letter was published by the X account of the Iranian embassy in Ireland and on Iran’s Department of Foreign Affairs website.
Speaking to Gript, Craughwell said, “I think most reasonable people felt that Michael D. Higgins was wrong to write the letter he wrote to the President of Iran.”
“Has he now lost the plot accusing the Israeli embassy of leaking his letter while in the USA.” he said adding that Higgins “must provide proof for this allegation.”
Commenting on the “conflict” between Higgins and Taoiseach Simon Harris, Craughwell said, “I believe here again he crosses the line.”, adding that the President “has no business involving himself in matters such as homelessness”.
President Higgins recently disagreed with comments made by the Taoiseach who said that high levels of immigration into Ireland was having an impact on homelessness.
In an interview with the Sunday Business Post the Taoiseach said, “People understand the fact that homelessness numbers are heavily impacted by the fact we are seeing many people seek protection in our country, seek asylum in our country and many people come from abroad hoping to have a new future in Ireland and immigration, it has many, many pluses, but it has had a challenge there,”.
While Higgins said that he had not read the Taoiseach’s comments, when asked if he accepted that increasing numbers of asylum seekers could be putting a burden on the housing crisis, he said, “No I do not.”
In response to the President’s allegations, the Israeli embassy said the comments were “highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous”, rejecting them “completely”.
It added that the letter sent “the wrong message to the people of Iran living in fear under this brutal regime”.
Former Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said that Higgins should “without delay withdraw his intemperate allegation” and “explain his objection to transparency, why his letter was published by Iran and not by his office”.
Shatter said that the President should also explain “why what he wrote on July 29 wrongly ignores that the tyrannical Islamic fundamentalist Iranian gov oppresses & murders its own people”.
He accused the Iranian regime of sponsoring ‘global terrorism’ saying that “Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis” and “others” are “Iranian terrorist proxies” insisting that the President “should apologise.”
Reacting to the spat, Taoiseach Simon Harris said, “I think the Israeli embassy should be focusing on things other than amplifying, circulating or referencing a letter that does really conform with normal diplomatic protocol between heads of state,”.
He continued, “You’d like to think that Israel would be more concerned with the fact that 14,000 children in Gaza are dead, that at least 20,000 are missing, many presumed dead.”
“I have no interest whatsoever in getting into any sort of tit for tat or back or forth with the Israeli embassy or the government of a country that is continuing to allow this horrific humanitarian situation continue where children are dying on a daily basis, many more being maimed and many, many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, being deprived access to humanitarian aid.”
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the letter was “standard” and that “in a diplomatic context, would be an appropriate letter in terms of a new government coming in, because diplomacy is the key to ending all of this war and all of this conflict.
“In that letter, references are made to peace, the importance of diplomacy to bring an end to conflict, because we appeal to Iran not to escalate the situation in the region, for example.
“In terms of the circulation of the letter, I’m not aware of who or what or how it emerged, but I think the criticism of the president was unfair in terms of the motivation behind that letter,” he said.
“There’s no issue with these letters being sent. We write when leaders pass away, for example, or when new leaders are elected, because diplomacy is about keeping channels of communication open.”
Alan Shatter said it was “predictable” that both Taoiseach and Tanaiste “have piggybacked onto the President’s allegation, defended his letter & used it as an excuse to further demonise Israel.”
“Truth has become a scarce commodity in Irish politics.” he said.