DUBLIN, Ireland - Dublin City Council is set to withdraw a controversial proposal to rename Herzog Park after determining that councillors lacked sufficient information to make an informed decision, according to local media reports on Sunday.
The move follows strong opposition from Ireland's senior political leadership, with both Prime Minister Micheál Martin and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Simon Harris publicly condemning the proposal to remove the park's name.
Martin said the proposal should be abandoned entirely, warning that renaming the park would erase the longstanding and distinctive contribution of Ireland's Jewish community to national life. He said such an action would "without any doubt" be viewed as antisemitic.
"This proposal is overly divisive and wrong," Martin said.
Harris also came out firmly against the plan, saying he "strongly opposes" the renaming. "It is wrong. We are an inclusive Republic. This proposal is offensive to that principle. I urge all party leaders to join me in opposition to this," he said.
Herzog Park is named after Chaim Herzog, who was born in Belfast and raised in Dublin before emigrating to what would later become Israel, where he served as the country's president. His son, Isaac Herzog, is Israel's current president. Chaim Herzog's father, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, served for many years as Ireland's chief rabbi. Herzog Park is a small village park close to the centre of Rathgar village in south Dublin. It was set out in 1985 by the Parks' Department of Dublin Corporation. It was then known as Orwell Quarry Park. It was renamed in 1995, the year of the tri-millennium of Jerusalem.
The proposal had been scheduled for discussion at a Dublin City Council meeting on Monday. Two pro-Palestinian groups had petitioned for the park to be renamed either "Hind Rajab Park" or "Free Palestine Park."
On Saturday, Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee also criticised the proposal, stating that Herzog "is an important figure for many people, particularly for members of Ireland's Jewish community."
While acknowledging that the Irish government has been openly critical of Israeli policies in Gaza and the West Bank, McEntee said the park's renaming would unfairly target "an Irish Jewish man" who "has nothing to do with this."
"It has no place in our inclusive republic. In my view, this name change should not proceed, and I urge Dublin City Councillors to vote against it," she said.
The office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog said it was following the situation "with concern," warning that the move would damage the legacy of the late Chaim Herzog and undermine the historic ties between the Irish and Jewish peoples.
The statement noted that beyond his role as an Israeli leader, Chaim Herzog had been a hero of the Allied campaign against Nazi Germany and had dedicated his life to the promotion of freedom, tolerance, peace and the fight against antisemitism.
"Removing the Herzog name, if it happens, would be a shameful and disgraceful move," the president's office said. "We hope that the legacy of a figure who stood at the forefront of building relations between Israel and Ireland, and in the fight against antisemitism and tyranny, will still receive the respect it deserves."
The controversy comes amid strained relations between Ireland and Israel in recent years, largely driven by Dublin's strong pro-Palestinian stance. In December 2024, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced the closure of Israel's embassy in Dublin, citing Israel's actions in Gaza.
