From At Tiri to Qana: the impact of peacekeeping in Lebanon on Israeli–Irish bilateral relations, 1978–2000

Abstract

In the period between 1978 and 2001 Ireland undertook the most significant operational tasking in its history on behalf of the United Nations, when it sent almost 40,000 troops to participate in the UNIFIL operation in Lebanon. This commitment increased Irish prestige across the international arena but it also had a highly negative impact on bilateral diplomatic and political relations between Ireland and Israel due to clashes and tensions between Irish UNIFIL peacekeepers and Israeli troops and their south Lebanese Christian allies. This article charts and examines the deterioration in Irish–Israeli relations and shows how events in Lebanon dominated the bilateral agenda in these two decades.