AN Irish mayor's trip to Israel to take part in a conference has been the subject of much debate due to the misspelling of his name.
Dublin Lord Mayor Mícheál MacDonncha tweeted yesterday to confirm that he had entered the country after it was suggested he would not be allowed access.
According to The Irish Times, officials in Israel had been planning to refuse the Sinn Féin politicican entry due to his support of the boycott of goods and services from the country.
The Dublin Mayor was travelling to Israel at the invitation of the Palestinian Authority who are hosting a conference on the status of Jerusalem today and tomorrow.
The Times quotes a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs as saying: "He was planned to be refused entry, there appears to have been a mishap."
The mishap reportedly relates to confusion between the Ministry and border officials over the spelling of the Lord Mayor's name, which according to the spokesperson was taken from Dublin City Council's website.
It's believed officials thought Ardmhéara Micheál MacDonncha, which translates as Lord Mayor Micheál MacDonncha, was his full name.
Mr MacDonncha entered the country via Tel Aviv yesterday and is now in the west bank city of Ramallah.
I can confirm I am in Ramallah and preparing for tomorrow's conference. https://t.co/F2Y5Q8IzGJ
— Lord Mayor of Dublin (@LordMayorDublin) April 10, 2018
According to reports, Israeli officials had mistaken the caption “Ardmhéara Micheál MacDonncha” as his full name. In fact, “Ardmheára” is Irish for Lord Mayor. https://t.co/cKy50Jqya7
— Ben White (@benabyad) April 11, 2018
Sinn Féin activists supporting today’s demonstration at the Israeli Embassy organized by the @ipsc48 in Solidarity with the Palestinian people today. The demo was addressed by Ardmheara Átha Cliath Micheál MacDonncha. pic.twitter.com/JD8PYtODwd
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) April 5, 2018
