Israel may 'close embassy in Ireland' amid budget cuts

Israel is considering closing its embassy in Ireland due to budget cuts in the foreign ministry, according to Israeli media reports.

Earlier in January, the foreign ministry announced that it planned to close seven diplomatic missions overseas over the next three years following budget negotiations with the ministry of finance.

The money saved from the closures would be reinvested in Israel's 100 remaining foreign missions.

The Israeli embassy in Dublin is the only western European mission slated for closure by the ministry of foreign affairs, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth reported.

Other overseas missions facing closure include Belarus, the Dominican Republic, Eritrea and, either Latvia or Lithuania, together with consulates in Atlanta, USA, and Bengaluru, India.

The embassy in Ireland was opened in 1996, ending an impasse that for years meant Ireland was the only European Union state not to have an Israeli mission.

A spokesman for the embassy told Irish online new site The Journal on Monday that "no decision has been made regarding the identity of the Israeli missions that might be closed".

"Only after the prime ministers' approval will we know which missions might be affected. Until then we cannot make and comments on all sorts of speculations," the spokesman added.

Israel regards Ireland as one of the most pro-Palestinian EU states, with bilateral ties often strained.

In 2010 the Irish government expelled an Israeli embassy official after the alleged use of forged Irish passports by Mossad in the assassination of senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.