Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Sunday that Israel has decided to close its embassy in the Irish capital, Dublin, and open a new embassy in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, by 2025, in a move he described as "reordering Israel's diplomatic priorities."

Sa'ar attributed the decision to close the Israeli embassy in Dublin to what he described as "anti-Israel policies" that he claimed the Irish government was adopting, considering that "Ireland has crossed all red lines in its dealings with Israel."

Sa'ar noted, in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, that Ireland had "unilaterally recognized the Palestinian state" and recently announced its joining of South Africa's lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, in which Israel is accused of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Sa'ar described Ireland's policies as "anti-Semitic and based on delegitimizing and demonizing Israel," noting that the decision to close the embassy came in response to these positions, and that Israel would redirect its resources to strengthening relations with countries seeking to expand their cooperation with Israel.

In return, Sa'ar announced the opening of a new Israeli embassy in Moldova, explaining that relations between Israel and Moldova are "friendly," with a mutual desire to expand and deepen cooperation between the two sides. He noted that Moldova has already opened an embassy in Israel, and that it is time for Israel to open its own embassy in Chisinau.

The Israeli Foreign Minister explained that he had informed his Moldovan counterpart, Mihai Popsoy, of the decision, noting that the embassy would open in 2025. Saar also instructed the Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry to search for a suitable location for the embassy and to begin the process of selecting an Israeli ambassador to Moldova.

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Sa'ar stressed that Israel will restructure its diplomatic representation in line with its political and diplomatic priorities.

He said: "There are countries that want to strengthen their relations with Israel, but there are no Israeli embassies in them yet. We will work to adapt the Israeli diplomatic system to suit the positions of these countries and their actions towards Israel in the political arena."