Letter: ​Michael D Higgins – not the Israeli Embassy – made Iran letter into an issue

When asked by the Press about the criticism of his letter, the president threw out a question to the media at the UN – “why don’t you ask where it came from?”

He then went on to accuse the Israeli embassy in Ireland of circulating his letter.

Who is briefing him? A little bit of research would have shown that his letter was released to the media by the Iranian Embassy in London on July 28 last.

In any event, it was not a private letter and is available under freedom of information.

The president didn’t like the criticism of the letter by the Israeli Embassy and for that matter by some TDs including Charlie Flanagan TD.

He didn’t like the Embassy highlighting that, in his letter, he failed to criticise Iran for their constant call for Israel’s total destruction, for their funding and arming terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah, not to mention their violations of human rights against its own citizens.

The president defended his so called “standard” letter as ‘normal diplomatic protocol’. But Mr President, you are not above criticism.

I think you could easily have challenged the new Iranian president on some of the above issues.

At a time when relations between Israel and Ireland are at a very low point, why did you choose to ignore who actually released your letter and wrongly blame the Israelis?

As for the taoiseach weighing in behind President Higgins, saying "he is not going to fall into ‘trap from Israel’ of making letter into an issue", he should reflect that it was the president that made the letter an issue not the Israeli Embassy.

Paddy Monaghan, Glenageary, Co Dublin