LAST UPDATE | 16 Jul 2025

THE US AMBASSADOR to Israel has told the Irish government to “sober up” and asked if drafting a bill to ban trade in goods with illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine was an “act of diplomatic intoxication”.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee is one of a number of US politicians who has levelled criticism at Ireland for progressing the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of importation of Goods) Bill.

Republican senator Lindsey Graham and Republican congressman Pete Stauber have also taken to social media in the last 24 hours to express their opposition to the bill. 

“I hope that Ireland will reconsider their efforts to economically isolate Israel, as they are in a fight for their very existence,” wrote Graham in a post on X.

He added that he does not believe it would be “well received” in the US and that it “certainly would not go unnoticed”.

Stauber said Ireland was “making a serious mistake” and described banning good from Israeli businesses operating in Palestine as “antisemitic” and something that would have “serious ramifications for American businesses”.

“Ireland must reconsider,” he said on X.

Graham and Stauber both shared an opinion piece published by The Hill, in which its authors outlined potential legal risks for US companies arising from the bill.

The opinion piece also failed to mention the reason why the bill was drafted and did not reference Palestine or the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that ruled Israel’s occupation and settlements are illegal.

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! Call @IsraelMFA & say you’re sorry! https://t.co/aiOcmCQWZ8

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) July 16, 2025

Huckabee took a different approach in his criticism.

“Did the Irish fall into a vat of Guinness & propose something so stupid that it would be attributed to act of diplomatic intoxication?” he asked in a post on X.

“It will harm Arabs as much as Israelis. Sober up Ireland!” he said, telling the government to call the Israeli foreign affairs ministry and “say you’re sorry!”

‘Ireland stands for peace’

Reacting to Huckabee’s comments in Dublin this afternoon, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “I reject the comments made by the ambassador.

“The situation is very serious in Gaza including an appalling loss of human life. Terrible war crimes are being committed.

“Ireland has consistently condemned Hamas and we equally condemn Israeli breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

“The slaughter of children must stop. The slaughter of innocent civilians queuing for food must stop. What is going on is beyond any moral compass.

“Ireland stands for peace and a political pathway forward.”

A major pro-Israel organisation, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), has also weighed in on the topic, saying it was “deeply concerned” by the proposed legislation.

“The bill singles out Israel and will only fuel already rising antisemitism and anti-Zionism in Ireland.  We continue to stand with the Irish Jewish community,” it said on X. 

We're deeply concerned by proposed legislation in Ireland that would boycott Israeli goods, products and materials from the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem. The bill singles out Israel and will only fuel already rising antisemitism and anti-Zionism in Ireland.

We continue to… pic.twitter.com/DEL8xWysNC

— ADL (@ADL) July 16, 2025

Accusations of antisemitism from pro-Israel politicians, Israeli government officials and partisan interest groups have been levelled at the Irish government throughout Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in Palestine, where more than 58,000 people have been killed since October 2023.

After Ireland intervened in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, where Israel is accused of committing genocide in Gaza, Israel closed its embassy in Dublin. The closure also followed Ireland’s recognition of the State of Palestine. 

Occupied Territories Bill

The bill to ban the importation of goods from illegal Israeli settlements has existed in some form since 2018, but now that it has entered the pre-legislative process, it has attracted international attention, both positive and negative. 

The government’s bill has replaced the Occupied Territories Bill first drafted by senator Frances Black. 

At an Oireachtas Committee hearing this evening on the Occupied Territories Bill, Ibec said there are “misconceptions” over the Bill but that Ireland is seen as taking an “isolationist” approach.

Ibec also remarked that Ireland is more closely linked with US than any EU country.

Its executive director Fergal O’Brien said that the majority of US states have passed legislation to counter the boycotting of Israel, and similar laws are also in place at a federal level.

“Businesses operating in Ireland and impacted by a Bill of this nature could potentially be excluded from public procurement contracts or other commercial opportunities in large parts of the US, and also face other potential penalties,” warned O’Brien.

“While the US has long been one of Ireland’s most important trade and investment partners, and the two countries have long standing deep cultural, social and economic ties, it is clear that this most important of economic and international relationships is in a period where views may increasingly diverge.”

O’Brien added: “Any deterioration in US trade and investment with Ireland would have material impacts for households and businesses.

“It is very difficult to quantify what the indirect costs and reputational impact of passing this Bill would be, or what material impact they might have on economic relations with the US.”

At a committee hearing yesterday, former justice minister Alan Shatter compared the bill to legislation passed by Nazi Germany.

At the same hearing, Irish-Palestinian woman Fatin Al Tamimi, who is vice-chairwoman of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said that passing the bill would give Palestinians hope.

“When Ireland starts, everybody will follow on because it’s a legal obligation, it’s a moral obligation for all countries, including Ireland.

“It is important for Ireland to start, and then everybody will follow.”

Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online.

With reporting from Cillian Sherlock, Press Association