Ireland’s new President-elect Catherine Connolly is facing scrutiny for her history of inflammatory remarks about Israel and Hamas.
The 68-year-old Connolly, a far-left, anti-establishment politician, won Saturday’s election in a landslide, but her victory has drawn concern from Ireland’s small Jewish community.
Connolly has repeatedly called Israel a “terrorist state” and a “rogue state,” and has dismissed global outrage over the October 7th Hamas massacre, declaring that “history didn’t begin on October 7.” She has also described Hamas as “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people,” a statement that has been criticized for downplaying Hamas’s brutality and genocidal campaign against the Jewish state.
Irish Jewish Leaders Urge Dialogue and Respect
Despite the unease over Connolly’s record, Ireland’s Jewish Representative Council (JRCI) extended formal congratulations. Chair Maurice Cohen emphasized that the presidency, though largely symbolic, represented all Irish citizens.
“The Jewish community in Ireland looks forward to working constructively with the president, as we have with her predecessors, in fostering mutual respect, understanding, and the flourishing of all communities that make up the fabric of Irish life,” Cohen said.
Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder also offered measured congratulations, expressing hope that Connolly would “unite rather than divide” and promote dialogue and understanding across Irish society. But he did not shy away from voicing alarm over her past statements about Hamas.
“She has described it as ‘part of the fabric of the Palestinian people,’ yet seems entirely untroubled by that reality,” Wieder said. “She appears not to object to its remaining in power, even as it openly beats and executes its own people. Such views do not reflect the outlook of someone committed to a secure and peaceful future.”
Wieder urged the new president to meet directly with Ireland’s Jewish community to hear their concerns and better understand how the conflict in the Middle East reverberates in Irish life.
Former Minister: Connolly Embodies Ireland’s Anti-Israel Left
Not all voices were conciliatory. Alan Shatter, a lawyer and former minister of justice and defense, sharply criticized Connolly’s record. “Catherine Connolly personifies the Irish Left and Sinn Fein’s anti-Israel hostility and embraces its narrative, counting amongst her political supporters those who advocate Israel’s replacement by a Palestinian state,” he told The Jerusalem Post. Sinn Fein, Ireland’s dominant nationalist party, has long been associated with the far-left and with stridently anti-Israel positions.
A Presidency Under Scrutiny
Connolly’s tenure begins amid worries that her rhetoric has emboldened hostility toward Jews and Israel while whitewashing the atrocities and genocidal aims of Hamas. For Ireland’s Jewish citizens, the challenge ahead will be ensuring that the nation’s new president lives up to her duty to represent and protect all communities equally.
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