The Israeli embassy in Dublin has written an open letter to Trinity College provost John Hegarty to protest over a student debate on an academic boycott of the Jewish state. In response, the Trinity One World Society has accused the embassy of attempting "to bully and intimidate college officials".
In a separate statement, the TCD authorities said: "Student societies are autonomous units and the college authorities do not exercise control over what they do once they operate within the law. College authorities play no active role in who is invited to participate in society debates.
"The college encourages balanced debates among student societies and obviously believes in freedom of speech. Any interference in this freedom would be counter-productive."
The embassy claimed that a "Palestinian Awareness Week" was "less concerned with raising Palestinian awareness than with anti-Israel activity".