Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar sparked controversy by condemning Ireland’s football team for wearing black armbands during their match against Israel, accusing the squad of being “on the wrong side of history.” The gesture came amid intense public pressure on the Irish Football Association to boycott the Nations League clash over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. After a team vote, the players decided to proceed with the match, wearing the armbands to honor “all lives lost in the conflict.”
In a post on X, Saar drew a parallel between the current protest and an incident from 1939, when an Irish team gave the Nazi salute before a game against Germany in Bremen. He also referenced Ireland’s wartime neutrality and condolences offered by then-prime minister Eamon de Valera following Hitler’s death. Saar stated that nearly 90 years later, Ireland seems to have a “unique talent for finding itself on the wrong side of history,” adding that while they once gave the Nazi salute, this time they “stand on the side of Palestinian terrorism.”
Support for the Palestinian cause remains strong in Ireland, which recognized a Palestinian state in 2024. The conflict in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in 1,221 deaths and 251 hostage takings. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed over 73,900 people, according to the Gaza Health Authority, figures the United Nations considers reliable.