'Overtly divisive and wrong' - Taoiseach calls on proposal to rename Dublin's Herzog Park to be withdrawn, as US and Israeli officials criticise move

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

52% : "Chaim Herzog, my late father, grew up in Dublin and fought the Nazis in WW2 as an officer in the British Army," he wrote on X. "His father, Rabbi Isaac Herzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland and a strong supporter of Irish Nationalism.
49% : The park in the south Dublin suburb of Rathgar was named after Chaim Herzog who was born in Belfast and brought up in Dublin, before going on to serve as president of Israel from 1983 to 1993.
49% : Mr Martin has added to a chorus of critics, both in against and in support of Israel's actions in Gaza, urging DCC to end the plans.
47% : In June 2024, a motion was tabled by Sinn Féin councillor Kourtney Kenny to change the name of Herzog Park to Hind Rajab Park to commemorate a six-year-old Palestinian killed in Gaza by Israel Defence Forces (IDF) when a car she was sharing with five other family members was shelled.
40% : Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called on Dublin City Council (DCC) to halt a proposal to rename Herzog Park due to its direct association with Israel.
40% : "When you think it couldn't get any worse in Ireland regarding animosity toward Israel and the Jewish people, it just did," he wrote last night on X. "I don't know what the people of Dublin are trying to say, but this is what I hear: A complete turning upside down of history when it comes to the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
30% : " Describing it as "painful" to witness Ireland becoming "the scene of raging antisemitism", he continued: "Ireland is now one of the most virulent anti-Israel countries in Europe, blurring the line between criticising Israeli policies and questioning Israel's right to exist.
29% : " US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, expressed his disapproval at the DCC's move, declaring it "an incredible insult" to the Herzog family.
12% : Have we not learnt anything from history?" Michael's brother and current president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, also posted online, denouncing DCC plans as "shameful and disgraceful". South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has also taken aim at Ireland in relation to its criticism of Israel, describing the country as "a cesspool of antisemitism".

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