The Office of the the Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said it is concerned by the proposed removal of the name of a former Israeli president from a park in south Dublin.
On Monday, Dublin city councillors will vote on a motion to rename Herzog Park in Rathgar, which was named after Belfast-born Chaim Herzog in 1995.
An agreement by members of the council's Commemorations and Naming Committee last July recommended to the full council the removal of the Herzog name from the park. There was one objection.
It also agreed that a consultation process should be undertaken to determine an approporiate new name.
Mr Herzog was raised in Dublin and was the son of Ireland's first chief rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog.
He served as the sixth president of Israel between 1983 and 1993.
In a statement on X this evening, the office of current president Isaac Herzog, who is Chaim Herzog's son, said it was following reports of the move "with concern" and that removing the name would be a "shameful and disgraceful move".
It said: "His father, Rabbi Isaac HaLevi Herzog, served as the first Chief Rabbi of the Irish Free State and left a significant mark on the life of the Irish nation in those days.
"Naming the park after his son some three decades ago expressed appreciation for his legacy and the deep friendship between the Irish and Jewish peoples.
"Unfortunately, this relationship has deteriorated in recent years, yet we still hope for the recovery of these important ties."
Statement in response to Dublin City Council on the proposed removal of the name of Israel's Sixth President Chaim Herzog from a park, and renaming it "Free Palestine":
— Office of the President of Israel (@IsraelPresident) November 29, 2025
We are following with concern the reports from Ireland regarding the intention to harm the legacy of the sixth…
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee urged councillors to vote against the motion, saying Mr Herzog is "an important figure for many people, particularly for members of Ireland's Jewish community".
"The Government has been openly critical of the policies and actions of the government of Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, and rightly so," Ms McEntee said in a statement.
"Renaming a Dublin park in this way - to remove the name of an Irish Jewish man - has nothing to do with this and has no place in our inclusive republic. In my view this name change should not proceed and I urge Dublin City Councillors to vote against it."
The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland (JRCI) also described the move as "deeply concerning".
Chair of the JRCI Maurice Cohen called on councillors to reject the motion, saying the "removal of the Herzog name from this park would be widely understood as an attempt to erase our Irish Jewish history".
Independent Councillor Cieran Perry was among those who originally proposed removing the name Herzog from the Rathgar park.
"We see it as an opportunity for a small action on behalf of the councillors and those we represent to highlight the ongoing genocide in Gaza," Mr Perry said.
Mr Perry said he believed it was appropriate to focus on Herzog Park and cited Chaim Herzog's involvement with the Haganah, an underground Jewish paramilitary force, and later with the IDF and his role as a prominent supporter of Zionism.
"We believe that ideology has continued throughout the decades and is responsible for where we currently find ourselves in Gaza," Mr Perry said.
"His ideology certainly plays a huge part, his son is President of Israel, a genocidal state that continues to slaughter children, continues to starve the population of Gaza, so we think it is appropriate (to remove Chaim Herzog's name from the park)," Mr Perry said.
"This is meant as absolutely no insult to the local Jewish Community" Mr Perry said, adding that there would be community consultation on any new name.
He also rejected any allegation of anti-Semitism.
"Unfortunately when opposition to genocide is equated to anti-Semitism, you debase the whole definition of anti-Semitism, and there is no way any of us can deny that anti-Semitism is a problem worldwide.
"Muddying the waters as to what anti-Semitism is does a huge disservice to those suffering anti-Semitic actions," Mr Perry said.
A motion regarding the name of the park was first raised in December 2024 by Labour Party councillor Fiona Connelly, who sought a report on the process that was taken in naming it.
She said she had been informed that the park's naming did not follow the correct procedures.
People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy also raised the issue in January and sought information about the protocols for renaming the park.
