The forthcoming Ireland football matches against Israel should proceed, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said, despite calls for them to be boycotted.
Political and sporting opposition to the Nations League game quickly emerged after it was drawn on Thursday evening.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) confirmed it intended to fulfil the fixtures as scheduled.
Speaking on Friday, Martin said he believed the FAI had taken the correct decision.
“We hope Ireland does well in the competition – the [Nations League] is a journey ahead of this Irish team. They have been doing very well so far and we wish them well,” he said.
He insisted the logistics of arranging the games were a matter for football authorities and it was not political, and switched focus to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“There is no official boycott of Israel. I must make that point from an Irish perspective,” he said.
“We are now focusing on peace in the Middle East. The Rafah crossing [in Gaza] is open, but we would want it to be opened more broadly. [We need] comprehensive humanitarian aid and then we want to see the reconstruction of Gaza happening.”
Republic of Ireland fans at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
He said people should distinguish between the actions of the Israeli government and its football team.
“We have been critics and have opposed very strongly Israeli government policy within Gaza in particular. We [also] condemned the Hamas attack on Israel which was absolutely horrific.”
Martin said there must also be an ability to distinguish between Israeli government policies and the people of the country.
“That is an important point – and I think sport is an area that can be challenging when it crosses into the realm of politics.”
Sinn Féin has criticised the decision. In a statement on Thursday its spokeswoman on sport, Joanna Byrne, said that in November the FAI voted to submit a motion to Uefa, the football governing body, to ban Israel from its European club and international competitions.
“That was the correct moral and principled position to take,” she said.
“Therefore, I am extremely angry and dismayed that the FAI have confirmed they will play against Israel. It appears that their morals, and principled position, was only on paper – not in actions where it counts.”