The President of the Workers Party has said the government’s expulsion of an official from the Israeli Embassy over the recent passports incident was mere tokenism and the party has called for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador and breaking off of diplomatic relations with Israel.

Michael Finnegan said that if Minister Micheál Martin believed that there were grounds enough for expelling an Israeli embassy staff member then that functionary’s boss should also be thrown out, otherwise the Minister’s action was no more than a token slap on the wrist for Israel over what was a very serious matter.

Mr. Finnegan said that the move also totally ignored Israel’s attack in international waters on the international aid flotilla including the deaths of nine people, the assault and kidnapping of Irish citizens and the impounding of the Rachel Corrie.

“Micheál Martin has made it clear that the Irish government suspects Israel of having been behind the forgery of Irish passports and the use of those and other EU passports in the course of the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai. The government has also condemned Israel’s attack on the aid ships.  That being the case there can be only one option for Ireland to protect our reputation as a sovereign state and that is to sunder all diplomatic ties with Israel and expel Ambassador Evrony and all his staff”, said Michael Finnegan.

Issued 15th June 2010