The Irish government, which has openly displayed its hatred for Israel in recent years, took another step targeting the Jewish state, becoming the first country in Europe to introduce legislation forbidding imports from the Biblical areas of Judea and Samaria.
Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister and former Prime Minister Simon Harris introduced a bill titled the General Scheme of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill. It was passed by the Irish government and now must be approved by the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny, the Jerusalem Post reported.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris declared. “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.”
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris told reporters, urging other countries to echo Ireland’s actions as he said, “every country must pull every lever at its disposal.”
Former Justice and Equality Minister and Defense Minister Alan Shatter ripped Harris on X, writing, “Only Simon Harris and our current government could be so foolish as to create the acronym PIGS to reference a new law that targets & boycotts Jewish-produced goods. … The gov has now proudly published its own farcical version of the Occupied Territories Bill (OTB), the first time since the defeat of Nazi Germany that any European gov has promoted a law to specifically boycott Jewish produced goods & criminalise those who import them.”
“Only Simon Harris & our current gov cld be so foolish as to create the acronym PIGS to reference a new law that targets & boycotts Jewish produced goods.” Explainer.
The gov has now proudly published its own farcical version of the Occupied Territories Bill (OTB), the first… https://t.co/dMw7T4tlZX— Alan Shatter (@Alan__Shatter) June 25, 2025
Last December, Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Minister, announced Israel would close its embassy in Ireland, citing Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.”
“The actions and antisemitic rhetoric used by Ireland against Israel are rooted in the delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state, along with double standards. Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel,” Sa’ar said. “Israel will invest its resources in advancing bilateral relations with countries worldwide according to priorities that also take into account the attitudes and actions of these states toward Israel.”
Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris reacted, “This is a deeply regrettable decision from the Netanyahu government. I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-International law.”
This is a deeply regrettable decision from the Netanyahu government. I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-International law. https://t.co/rDga5GpT3u
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) December 15, 2024
Despite Harris’ protestations that Ireland’s government is not anti-Israel, the evidence suggests otherwise.
In February 2024, then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar denounced a possible Israeli operation into the Hamas stronghold in Rafah, saying it would be a “gross violation of international law on top of all the other violations of international law which Israel is responsible for.” He continued by ripping Israel for not bowing to the wishes of outsiders, saying, “It’s very, very clear to me though, that Israel is not listening to any country in the world, I don’t even think they’re listening to the Americans anymore. They have become blinded by rage.”
In May 2024, only days after Harris declared, “I abhor the actions of the Netanyahu government regarding what is happening in the Middle East,” Ireland officially recognized a “Palestinian state.” Harris stated, “The government recognizes Palestine as a sovereign and independent state and agreed to establish full diplomatic relations between Dublin and Ramallah. We had wanted to recognize Palestine at the end of a peace process. However, we have made this move alongside Spain and Norway to keep the miracle of peace alive.”
On November 7, the Irish parliament passed a non-binding motion attacking Israel, stating, “genocide is being perpetrated before our eyes by Israel in Gaza.”
Ireland joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Looking into the past, in 1996, Ireland finally permitted an Israeli embassy in its country; it was the last country in the European Union to open an Israeli embassy in its own country.
As far back as 1945, within days of Adolf Hitler’s suicide on April 30, 1945, Ireland’s Taoiseach Éamon de Valera called on Eduard Hempel, the Nazi minister to Ireland, to “express his condolences.” He said, “I certainly was not going to add to his [Hempel’s] humiliation in the hour of defeat.”