Israeli embassy in Dublin targeted by hoax package

Israel's embassy in Ireland has reopened after army experts examined a suspicious powder-filled package and declared it a hoax.

The Israeli embassy in southeast Dublin has been repeatedly picketed since Israel launched its military offensive on the Gaza Strip last month, but this is the first time that someone has threatened diplomatic staff with a fake bomb. The Irish Defense Forces say Tuesday's package contained a powder and a written threat but provided no other details.

Sympathy for Palestinians traditionally runs high in Ireland. Last week a lawmaker from the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party insulted the Israeli ambassador and Ireland's only Jewish lawmaker by comparing them to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.