Taoiseach Simon Harris has condemned comments by a onetime adviser to Donald Trump who reportedly called on Israel to drop napalm on Irish UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon.
The Irish Independent is reporting that Matthew Brodsky, who served in the Trump White House, said on social media that the IDF should be carpet bombing Irish positions, this in a post separate to his saying that Israel should napalm the Irish peacekeepers.
Mr. Harris, who is in Washington today to mark one hundred years of Irish-U.S. diplomatic relations, said by way of response and as reported in the Independent: "Isn't that just the most disgusting thing you can possibly have heard?
"Our peacekeepers are doing an extraordinary job, and have been doing so for many decades. I think everybody at Ireland is very proud of them. It's been a particularly difficult number of weeks, but particularly this week for those in the outpost (confronted Israeli troops). These are very difficult circumstances in which they find themselves,” he said.
"It's an understatement of the year to say it's not a pleasant environment for them to find themselves in. It was a moment of significant danger, and that danger persists. The families of our peacekeepers are understandably concerned and stressed - as many of us would be if our loved one was in Lebanon at the moment. So comments like that are entirely inappropriate and pretty despicable."
Mr. Harris is due to meet later today with President Biden to mark the century of diplomatic ties. A White House reception to mark the anniversary was cancelled due to Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida this evening.
While in the nation's capital Mr. Harris will additionally attend a gathering at Georgetown University commemorating the diplomatic anniversary. He will meet with leaders of the Friends of Ireland caucus who are currently presenting a bill to Congress saluting the century of transatlantic diplomacy. The Taoiseach is also meeting with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development., Irish-born Samantha Power.
