US Palestine Museum interested in taking over closed Israeli embassy in Dublin

Museum said opening a branch in the building would be 'political statement'

The Israeli Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, which closed at the weekend. PA

A Palestinian museum in the US is interested in leasing a building in Dublin that until recently housed Israel’s embassy.

Palestinian Museum US in Connecticut opened in 2018, aiming to tell the Palestinian story to a global audience through art. It has since staged exhibitions in several European locations, including Ireland.

Museum founder Faisel Saleh said opening a branch in a former Israeli embassy would be a “political statement”. It would make sense to have a permanent space in the region, he added. But he has not yet been able to reach the building's owner to discuss the lease.

Israel announced at the weekend that it was closing its embassy in Dublin due to “the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government”.

“We have been looking at expanding the presence of the museum globally,” added Mr Saleh. “And we have done three very large expensive exhibits [in Europe] in the last three years. In Venice we had an exhibit for seven months that just ended. That had more than 200,000 visitors,” he told The National.

“The cost of those exhibits comes very close, if not higher than maintaining a permanent presence. So at that point it would make sense to just be there permanently. “There are some advantages to try to do it there.”

“There are some advantages to try to do it there. Obviously there are some political ramifications to it in the sense of replacing an Israeli embassy with a Palestine museum, which would be a coup in terms of the public and the media.”

He said there “seems to be great support” for a Palestinian museum in Ireland based on initial reactions to the idea. The museum would feature paintings, sculptures and installations telling the story of Palestine, added Mr Saleh.

Announcing the closure of the embassy, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said: “Israel will invest its resources in advancing bilateral relations with countries worldwide according to priorities that also take into account the attitudes and actions of these states towards Israel.”

Ireland is one of Europe’s most pro-Palestinian countries. Last week it emerged that the country will formally intervene in South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris has confirmed his country's authorities would detain Mr Netanyahu if he travelled there.

In May, Dublin recognised Palestine as a sovereign and independent state comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and agreed to establish full diplomatic relations. And last month, the Irish government accepted the appointment of a full Palestinian ambassador for the first time. Spain, Norway and Slovenia also recognised a Palestinian state this year, drawing retaliatory moves from Israel.

Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin said Ireland's stance on the conflict in the Middle East has “always been guided by the principles of international law and the obligation on all states to adhere to international humanitarian law.

“This has been the case with regard to our response to the terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, and to the conduct by Israel of its military operations since then. The continuation of the war in Gaza and the loss of innocent lives is simply unacceptable and contravenes international law.”