Parable pitfall: Irish PM’s biblical allusion prompts outrage in Israel
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On Saturday night, Emily Hand, a girl of Irish and Israeli descent who had been abducted by Hamas, was finally released from captivity. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar tried to express joy about her freedom in a poetic way. Unfortunately, his choice of words from the Bible was not completely accurate, and this angered Israel.
The situation showcased the tense condition of diplomatic ties between Ireland and Israel. It also highlights the challenges of trying to convey subtle messages or hints through online platforms.
Not long after Emily, who celebrated her ninth birthday while being held captive in Gaza, was finally reunited with her father Tom Hand, Varadkar posted a short message on Twitter. He used phrasing and imagery that was similar to the Parable of the Prodigal Son in the Bible, which describes how someone who was believed to be dead can come back to life, and someone who was lost can be found.
Emily Hand and her family are overjoyed and relieved on this momentous day. A precious child who was once lost has now been reunited with them, bringing immense relief. We are grateful that our prayers have been answered," Varadkar announced. However, this statement was met with angry criticisms from Eylon Levy, a spokesperson for the Israeli government.
Levy expressed his disagreement with Ireland's reaction to the news of a missing girl who was later found by a hiker. He believes that Ireland's response was inadequate and only consisted of prayers. Levy contrasted this situation with another one where a girl was violently taken and killed by death squads who massacred her community. Overall, he is criticizing Ireland's lack of action and understanding towards the severity of the situation.
The Foreign Minister of Israel, Eli Cohen, quickly spoke out against the actions of Varadkar, using social media to condemn his behavior. Cohen directly addressed Varadkar and accused him of lacking moral direction, and implied that the actions he was taking could be perceived as condoning acts of terror. Cohen expressed his deep disappointment and wrote that Varadkar should be ashamed of himself.
Cohen announced on Sunday that he planned to call in Ireland's ambassador to Israel, Sonya McGuinness, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give her a formal warning.
Officials in Dublin are currently dealing with an unexpected increase in anti-immigrant unrest. It is anticipated that McGuinness will receive a direct message from Israeli officials early next week, although they are likely to be of a lower rank.
According to two Irish officials who spoke to POLITICO, they believed that Israel's feelings of fury were justifiable in light of the horrific mass shootings and kidnappings that took place on October 7th, all perpetrated by Hamas. However, the officials suggested that individuals should take the time to thoroughly read Varadkar's complete declaration.
However, when POLITICO brought attention to the fact that the complete statement was only visible in screenshots taken by third parties and not properly published online, an official responded by saying, "That mistake was made by someone else, not me thankfully."
On Sunday afternoon, Varadkar finally uploaded his complete statement, which came a day later than the first tweet.
A few individuals in the community believed that Israel's reaction was excessive and that they purposely misinterpreted an instance of "poetic language." These critics pointed out that the comment was specifically crafted to align with the Hand family's original conviction that Emily had been murdered on October 7th, which was emphasized in Varadkar's more comprehensive statement.
Bobby McDonagh, who served as Ireland's ambassador to both the EU and the U.K., has asserted that people are making too much of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's biblical reference, despite his occasional verbal missteps. McDonagh maintains that Varadkar's intentions were good.
Some people proposed that Varadkar ought to have been aware that his choice of words could be easily misinterpreted, and therefore, the blame lies with him for his own predicament.
In Ireland's coalition government, it is not unusual for Varadkar's colleague, Foreign Minister Micheál Martin, to take a more mild approach. Martin has recently come back from a trip to Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank, where he worked on finding ways for many Irish citizens who have been stuck in Gaza to leave. Martin has shown how to create a statement without causing any diplomatic issues.
