‘Antisemitic Hate’: US Lawmakers Condemn Proposed Irish Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements

A growing chorus of US lawmakers is voicing sharp criticism of a proposed Irish bill that would ban trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, warning that the measure could seriously damage US-Ireland relations and risk fueling antisemitism.

The so-called “Occupied Territories Bill,” which was recently approved by the Cabinet and has now moved to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny, would criminalize the importation or sale of products from Jewish communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — areas characterized by the legislation as “occupied Palestinian territory” — into Ireland.

The measure has sparked backlash in Washington, where several members of Congress say the bill unfairly targets Israel and undermines efforts to promote peace in the region.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the most strident supporters of Israel in Congress, accused Ireland of attempting to “economically isolate” the Jewish state and vowed that Dublin’s anti-Israel policies “would not go unnoticed” by Washington.

“I hope that Ireland will reconsider their efforts to economically isolate Israel, as they are in a fight for their very existence,” he posted on X. “I do not believe these efforts would be well received in the United States and they certainly would not go unnoticed.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) also condemned the proposed law, calling the legislation “foolish” and accused it of unfairly targeting Israel.

“This foolish move not only wrongfully targets Israel and the Jewish Community, but also harms American businesses,” Scott wrote. “They should think twice about the message they’re sending by passing this bill, which complicates our economic relationship and targets our ally.”

Legal experts have argued that if the Irish bill becomes law, it could chase American capital out of the country while also hurting companies that do business with Ireland. Under US law, it is illegal for American companies to participate in boycotts of Israel backed by foreign governments. Several US states have also gone beyond federal restrictions to pass separate measures that bar companies from receiving state contracts if they boycott Israel.

“Ireland’s proposal to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel is blatantly antisemitic — and it will hurt American companies too,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) posted on X, referring to the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. “I strongly urge Ireland to reverse course and reconsider. There is no place for this kind of hate.”

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), chair of the House Republican Conference, added that any legislation “boycotting, divesting, or sanctioning Israel would be a huge mistake for Ireland,” arguing that “this type of extreme antisemitic hate is unacceptable and should be rejected.”

Several other American lawmakers expressed similar sentiments, describing the bill as discriminatory and suggesting the US could respond with punitive measures.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged Ireland to “sober up” and claimed that the nation was engaging in “diplomatic intoxication.”

“Did the Irish fall into a vat of Guinness & propose something so stupid that it would be attributed to act of diplomatic intoxication? It will harm Arabs as much as Israelis. Sober up Ireland!” Huckabee said in a post on X.

Ireland is the first European nation to advance legislation to ban and criminalize goods from Israeli settlements.

Observers believe that the legislation, if enacted, could strain the historically close ties between Dublin and Washington. A large number of American companies maintain Irish operations, many of which have ties to Israel. Critics have also argued that the law disproportionately targets the Jewish state while ignoring Palestinian conduct and broader complexities of the decades-long Middle Eastern conflict.

During a hearing of the Irish parliament’s joint committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade on Tuesday, Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish representative council of Ireland, warned that the bill “might drive Jewish communities here in Ireland further into fear and isolation.”

Alan Shatter, a former member of parliament who served in the Irish cabinet between 2011 and 2014 as minister for justice, equality and defense, also told the committee that the bill was “based on falsehoods” and “abandons all lessons learned in our own peace process.” He went on to compare the bill to Jews being targeted during World War II, saying it is “the first initiative of any European government to enact legislation to intentionally boycott and discriminate against Jews since the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.” Shatter told The Algemeiner in an interview last year that Ireland has “evolved into the most hostile state towards Israel in the entire EU,” explaining that antisemitism in the European country has become “blatant and obvious.”

Ireland has been one of the fiercest critics of Israel on the international stage since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza, leading the Jewish state to shutter its embassy in Dublin.

The American Jewish Committee, Anti‑Defamation League, B’nai B’rith International, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued a joint statement asserting that the Irish legislation “could create significant risks for US companies doing business in Israel and would fuel rising antisemitic and anti‑Zionist sentiment in Ireland and elsewhere.”

The statement continued, “We fully support the Jewish community in Ireland in combating this antisemitism which is manifesting itself in demonization of Israel.”

Irish supporters of the bill argue it is a principled stand against what they see as illegal occupation and settlement expansion.

“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris said during a press conference last month.

“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” he added. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”

The Irish diplomat also told reporters at the time that he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”

However, the bill’s advancement has reportedly triggered unease in European diplomatic circles, with some viewing it as a potential breach of EU trade law.

Israeli officials have condemned the legislation as discriminatory, and the Israeli Embassy in Ireland warned it could encourage a new wave of boycotts against Jews.

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