Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military personnel have trained in the Irish Military College over the last six years.
IDF members were among personnel from 13 different countries to attend courses in the college, including the United States, Saudi Arabia and Germany, documents released to The Ditch by the Defence Forces have confirmed.
Israel is currently before the International Court of Justice following a case brought by South Africa accusing the country of committing genocide in Gaza. Almost 24,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October, including more than 10,000 children.
Attending the Military College
IDF members have attended the Irish Military College alongside military personnel from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Malta, Fiji and seven other countries.
According to documents released to The Ditch under freedom of information, these IDF members attended the college at some point between 2018 and the present day.
The Ditch has asked the Defence Forces what specific training the IDF members received during their time in Ireland, as well as whether any Israeli military personnel are currently training in the country.
The college has four schools that provide training to military members: the Command and Staff School; the Infantry School; the Cadet School; and the United Nations Training School Ireland. It also features four additional schools: the Artillery School; the Cavalry School; the Military Administration School; and the Defence Forces Physical Education School.
Israeli military members also received training in Ireland before 2018.
Between 2011 and 2014, an IDF member attended an explosive device disposal course at the Military Academy. In 2001 Israelis also attended training courses at the Defence Forces Training School, Curragh Camp, Kildare, according to Dáil records.
In November, The Ditch reported that a Fianna Fáil councillor voted against flying a Palestine flag in Dublin city for fear of violent IDF reprisals against Irish peacekeeping troops in Lebanon, after receiving advice from both tánaiste Micheál Martin and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Last week taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin said that Ireland would not be joining South Africa’s case in the International Court of Justice.
When asked by reporters on Thursday why Ireland has declined to support the South African case against Israel, Martin cautioned that “genocide is something very particular,” also stating that “we need to be very careful in that regard”.
