Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that he disagrees with the position of the Israeli Minister for Defence, who said Israel should close its embassy in Dublin.
Mr Varadkar said he "totally disagrees" with the minister's position, adding that Ireland and Israel have had diplomatic relations for a very long time.
"We have an embassy in Tel Aviv, they have an embassy in Dublin, there are Irish citizens in Israel and Israeli citizens here and sometimes they need consular assistance," he said.
Mr Varadkar also said there were Israeli companies in Ireland, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector, and even though states may not agree on everything, it was important to have diplomatic relations.
Israeli Minister for Defence Avigdor Lieberman called for the country to close its Dublin embassy due to the Seanad passing a bill that would block the import of goods from occupied Palestinian territories.
The Taoiseach has said he disagrees with the Israeli Minister for Defence, who said Israel should close its embassy in Dublin | https://t.co/hdlrCBS39v pic.twitter.com/lPNb0XEmVB
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An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson said his government totally opposed the bill.
The bill was passed in the Seanad by 25 votes to 20, after Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Labour and other Independent senators supported it.
Members of the Ireland-Israel Alliance staged a protest on Kildare Street urging senators to vote against the bill on Wednesday.
It is estimated that the value of exports from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories to Ireland stands at between €500,000 and €1m per year, and a total of €300m to the EU.
Among the products are some agricultural products such as vegetables, garden furniture and cosmetics.
