Israeli FM Slams Irish PM Over Hamas Kidnapping Remark

By Aryeh Stern

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Sunday condemned Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar for referring to Emily Hand, the eight-year-old Israeli citizen who was released after being kidnapped during the massacre of Oct. 7, as being “lost.”

“Mr. Prime Minister, It seems you have lost your moral compass and need a reality check!” Cohen wrote on social media. “Emily Hand was not ‘lost,’ she was kidnapped by a terror organization worse than ISIS that murdered her stepmother.”

“Emily and more than 30 other Israeli children were taken hostage by Hamas, a designated terrorist group, and you, Leo Varadkar, are trying to legitimize and normalize terror. Shame on you!” Cohen added.

Varadkar had earlier written: “This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family. An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered.”

The Irish Prime Minister made no mention of the fact that Hand was held by Hamas terrorists for 50 days, or of the massacre they perpetrated in Israel on Oct. 7 when they abducted Hand and about 240 other people.

Varadkar’s post was criticized many times in Israel and by supporters of Israel.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen later announced that he has ordered his staff to call in Ireland’s ambassador for a reprimand.