Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (rights) meets with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney in Jerusalem. Photo: Haim Zach / GPO.

JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronted Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney on Tuesday over Ireland’s support for anti-Israel NGOs.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his dissatisfaction over Ireland’s traditional stance and told the foreign minister that his country does not condemn Palestinians for incitement and for glorifying those who commit terrorist attacks,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement after Netanyahu and Coveney met in Jerusalem.

“The prime minister also asked him why Ireland helps NGOs that call for the destruction of Israel and noted that many European countries are overlooking the core problem of the conflict — the Palestinian refusal to recognize the state of the Jews,” the statement added.

Coveney, a member of Ireland’s center-right Fine Gael party, was visiting Israel and the Palestinian Authority as part of a larger Middle East trip.

“Good straight talking meeting with PM @netanyahu today, raised concerns firmly and listened to Israeli perspectives,” Coveney tweeted.

Coveney said his discussion with Netanyahu focused on issues including “settlements, the humanitarian and political situation in Gaza, and more broadly, the prospects for the resumption of meaningful negotiations in the Middle East peace process.”