Israeli ambassador snubbed by Simon Harris as Fine Gael leader says Irish people are ‘repulsed’ by Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions

Mr Harris received a standing ovation when he said Irish people were “repulsed” by the actions of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, ambassador Dana ­Erlich was not present to witness the speech after being removed from the invite list.

It would be normal for Fine Gael to invite a selection of ambassadors to their ard fheis, especially if they are central to current global events.

Fianna Fáil was criticised by some for inviting Ms Erlich to its party conference last November.

In his speech, Mr Harris described the situation in Gaza as a “humanitarian catastrophe”, adding that the threat of famine is a “spectre no Irish person can bear”.

“Anyone who can countenance deliberate starvation has lost their humanity,” he said.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Irish people could not be clearer. We are repulsed by your actions. Cease fire now and let the aid flow safely,” he added, to rapturous applause.

Ms Erlich told the Irish Independent that the Israeli embassy “note carefully his comments”.

Ms Erlich congratulated the Wicklow TD on his appointment and said “ clear and frequent channels of communication have and continue to be important to our bilateral relationship”.

She added: “War is a terrible thing. The people of Israel are eager for this war to end. Israel did not start this war, nor did it want it.

“It can only end when our kidnapped are returned home, and Hamas can never again be able to threaten the security of Israel, or continue to abuse its population as human shields and use the civilian infrastructure as bases for terror activities.”

Ms Erlich said Israel hopes the Irish Government “will publicly hold Hamas accountable for their crimes and atrocities, and pressure them to release the kidnapped and stop abusing their population”.

“It is important to recognise that Hamas does not seek coexistence or peace, but rather the total destruction of Israel, at any cost. Therefore, Hamas cannot be part of a future solution,” she said.

A spokesperson for Fine Gael confirmed Ms Erlich was not welcome at the event in Galway, saying: “Due to the immense and increasing suffering of civilians in Gaza, Fine Gael took the view that it was not appropriate that a representative of the Israeli government attend the ard fheis.”