Dublin Shelves Plan to Rename Herzog Park After International Outcry

Dublin City Council has recommended withdrawing a proposal to rename Herzog Park in Rathgar after strong criticism from international and domestic figures. The move to change the park's name — variously proposed as "Free Palestine Park" or "Hind Rajab Park" — was put on hold after council officials flagged procedural errors in how the item reached the full council agenda.

What happened

The park, named in 1995 for Chaim Herzog — the Belfast-born, Dublin-raised sixth president of Israel — became the focus of an online petition and a council motion supported by some pro-Palestinian activists and a local councillor. Members of the council's commemorations and naming committee had recommended removing Herzog's name in July after a motion originally tabled by Sinn Féin councillor Kourtney Kenny. The recommendation recorded a single formal objection.

Administrative review and reactions

Richard Shakespeare, chief executive of Dublin City Council, has advised that the report recommending the name change be withdrawn from the agenda and referred back to the commemorations and naming committee for proper statutory consideration. He said an inquiry will probe "administrative mishaps" that allowed the proposal to reach councillors without the full statutory procedures being followed.

The proposal prompted wide condemnation from senior Irish politicians and officials overseas. Micheál Martin, the taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil, described the idea as "overtly divisive and wrong" and urged councillors to withdraw it in full. Simon Harris, the Tánaiste and leader of Fine Gael, called the plan "offensive." Isaac Herzog's office warned the move would damage "the unique expression of the historical connection between the Irish and Jewish peoples." Ireland's Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder said the 1995 naming recognised "a chapter of shared Irish-Jewish history" that should not be erased.

"When the park was named in honour of Chaim Herzog in 1995, it was a recognition not just of one man, but a chapter of shared Irish-Jewish history. That history has not changed, and it cannot be undone by motions or votes." — Yoni Wieder, Chief Rabbi of Ireland

Critics outside the Republic also voiced concern: Brian Kingston, a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, called the proposal "symptomatic of insular anti-Semitism and mean-spiritedness," while Israeli and U.S. sources registered strong disapproval.

Local concerns and next steps

Locally, Dublin's Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said the paperwork lacked sufficient detail for councillors to make an "informed decision" and warned of legal "question marks" over the plan. He said he did not personally support renaming the park.

Councillor Kourtney Kenny had proposed renaming the site Hind Rajab Park in memory of a six-year-old Palestinian girl who a report said was killed in Gaza when her vehicle was shelled. Supporters of the renaming framed their campaign as an act of solidarity with Palestinians and a protest against Israel's military actions in Gaza.

Context

The controversy comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Ireland and Israel. Dublin formally recognised the State of Palestine in May 2024; later that year Israel closed its embassy in Ireland, citing what it called the Irish government's strongly anti-Israel policies. Ireland also supported South Africa's case alleging genocide by Israel at the International Court of Justice. Those developments have sharpened public and political debate in Ireland about the government's stance on the conflict and how it is reflected in symbolic acts such as place-naming.

Chaim Herzog (1918–1997) was the son of Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Ireland's first chief rabbi. He served in the British Army during the liberation of Europe in the Second World War, later became a senior intelligence officer in Israel's early armed forces, and served as president of Israel from 1983 to 1993.