Lost in translation...

Banned Dublin Mayor enters Israel due to border confusion over his title ‘as Gaeilge’

ISRAELI authorities tried to ban the Lord Mayor of Dublin from entering the country, but they mistakenly believed that Ardmhéara, the Irish for Lord Mayor, was his first name.

Immigration officers were instructed to stop Mícheál Mac Donncha from entering the country after Dublin City Council passed two anti-Israel resolutions this week.

Their computer system was looking for an Irish man named Mícheál, but the interior ministry’s order to block him had listed his name as ‘Ardmhéara Mícheál Mac Donncha’ [Lord Mayor Mícheál Mac Donncha], the name the Sinn Féin member uses on his website and official documents.

The interior ministry has now launched an investigation, and will hand Mr Mac Donncha a barring letter when he leaves.

The Dublin City Council resolutions endorsed the anti-Israel boycott movement and called on the Government to expel the Israeli ambassador to Ireland.

Mr Mac Donncha was due to attend a conference on the status of Jerusalem in Ramallah this week, following an invitation from the Palestinian Authority. However, interior minister Arye Deri said on Tuesday he would not be granted access to Israel.

Despite Mr Deri’s threat, Mr Mac Donncha tweeted on Tuesday that he had arrived in Ramallah and was preparing for the conference.

Israeli media reported that border officials failed to prevent him entering the country as his name was spelled wrong in the order.

Mr Deri confirmed yesterday that he has ordered an inquiry into what had happened ‘so that lessons can be learned’, and that the Mayor would be handed a barring letter when he leaves Israel.

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on foreign affairs, TD Seán Crowe, yesterday called on the Irish Government to protest against the ban.

‘Israel’s attempts to punish those who speak out against its illegal occupation of Palestine and its continued violations of international law must not go unanswered,’ Mr Crowe said.

‘This week both Cork City Council and Dublin City Council passed motions calling for the expulsion of the Israeli diplomats after the massacre of 31 innocent Palestinians civilians in Gaza by the Israeli army over the last two weeks. One of those murdered was a journalist and a video has been leaked... showing Israeli soldiers cheering and celebrating when a sniper shoots a Palestinian civilian.’

One of the resolutions passed by Dublin City Council read: ‘Since its violent establishment in 1948 through the ethnic cleansing of more than half of the indigenous people of Palestine, the state of Israel has denied Palestinians their fundamental rights and has refused to comply with international law.’

The text, proposed by Cllr John Lyons, stated that all ties will be cut between Dublin and Hewlett-Packard. Cllr Lyons said HP technology is used by Israel in checkpoints and ID cards.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry labelled the resolution ‘utter nonsense’ and ‘worthy of dark dictatorship’.

Will be handed barring letter