Holly Cairns rejects Israeli ambassador’s criticism of deselection of local election candidate

Ms Cairns said Orli Degani, who was due to run as a candidate in Dún Laoighaire, Dublin, was “deselected after a number of failed attempts to resolve issues”.

“Those efforts extended to hiring an external mediator as well as an internal review by our national executive. There was nothing discriminatory, or unfair, about the process,” Ms Cairns added.

Ms Degani, who is a German-born Jewish woman with Israeli citizenship, was selected last year to contest next month’s elections. She was deselected on April 26. This came after she raised concerns of the local Jewish community with the party, Ms Degani said.

Israel’s Ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, later said Ms Degani “appears to have been discriminated against because of her nationality”.

Ms Cairns rejected the ambassador’s claim and said Ms Erlich should have contacted the party before making her comments.

The Cork South-West TD also called for economic and diplomatic sanctions to be imposed on Israel.

“It’s clear that the Israeli ambassador has made this scurrilous and false allegation to deflect from the bigger, and much more important, issue of the more than 34,000 people now killed in Gaza by the Israeli government. Included in this number are more than 14,000 dead children,” Ms Cairns said.

“The Social Democrats remain absolutely committed to standing with the people of Gaza. We vehemently oppose the genocide, torture and famine being inflicted on them by an apartheid and ruthless occupying state.”

Ms Degani still intends to contest the election as an Independent candidate.