When I’ve written about Ireland over the years, it’s almost always been for two reasons.

• To praise the country’s low corporate tax rate (see here, here, here, here, and here).
• To criticize every other bit of Irish fiscal policy (see here, here, here, here, and here).

Today, I’m going to break this pattern and write about an extraordinary example of government stupidity that involves Ireland’s foreign policy.

I’ll start with this tweet.

Is there some exaggeration? I’ve never heard of C14 News, so I did a search for other stories in hopes of getting confirmation.

Here are some excerpts from a news report from Ireland, authored by Niall O’Connor and published in The Journal.

The new government jet may struggle to land in fog and bad weather because it was ordered without a navigational system which is made by an Israeli company… Multiple sources have confirmed to The Journal that a piece of equipment used to help land the plane in fog or other inclement conditions was not included in the plane. The system, which normally sits on the nose of the aircraft, is known as the FalconEye. Essentially it is a system which can ‘see through’ low visibility conditions and allow the aircraft to land. …the system was not included on the aircraft was because it is manufactured by an Israeli company called Elbit. In August 2024 Micheál Martin, then Tánaiste and minister for defence and foreign affairs, said that Ireland would not be purchasing kit which contains Israeli manufactured products.

And the New York Post has picked up the story on this side of the Atlantic.

Here are some passage from the report, written by Anthony Blair.

The Irish government’s new $61 million “Air Force One” is coming without a navigational system for landing in bad weather — because it’s boycotting Israeli parts. …That is because the FalconEye system is made by Israel-based manufacturer Elbit… The missing system could have come in handy in the Emerald Isle, which is famously one of the wettest and most overcast places in the world. Ireland gets just 1,100 and 1,600 hours of sunshine annually, making it one of the cloudiest regions in Europe. Cork Airport, the nation’s second-busiest terminal after Dublin, experiences 99 days of fog annually.

It certainly seems like the Irish government, as part of anti-Israel virtue signalling, has purchased a jet for its politicians that has diminished capacity.

If this eventually causes delays or diverted flights, I wonder if this meme will become reality.

I’ll close with two additional observations.

First, Israel does not have a stellar human rights record. It is rated as “free” by Freedom House, but is tied for #71 in the rankings. That being said, Ireland apparently does not impose non-military procurement restrictions on almost any of the 135 jurisdictions that rank lower for human rights. I’ll let readers decide whether this is evidence of anti-Semitism by Ireland’s government.

Second, while I don’t pretend any expertise on foreign policy, my two cents on Israel is that it has a right to defend itself but it should do so without relying on American tax dollars. With regards to economic policy, Israel is much less statist than it’s unfriendly neighbors. So, if I had to live in the Middle East, I know my first choice (with Dubai also a possible choice, at least when there is no danger of Iranian missiles).