RELEASE: Gottheimer Leads Bipartisan Letter to Irish Prime Minister Opposing One-Sided Efforts to Target Israel

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, October 6, 2025, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in sending a letter to Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, raising concerns over Ireland’s proposed Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Act of 2025 and Ireland’s calls for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to redefine genocide standards meant to target Israel.

The Members of Congress stressed that these efforts represent a dangerous attempt to isolate Israel, America’s closest democratic ally in the Middle East, while ignoring other territorial disputes around the world. The Members sounded the alarm that the proposed import ban would not only damage U.S.-Irish relations, but also put American companies operating in Ireland in direct conflict with federal and state level anti-boycott laws in the U.S.

“Ireland’s efforts to single out Israel with this one-sided legislation and trying to rewrite international law to target the world’s only Jewish state will only empower Hamas terrorists and embolden antisemitism around the world,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “I’m proud to be leading this bipartisan effort urging Ireland to withdraw these dangerous proposals. The U.S.-Irelandrelationship has always been rooted in shared democratic values — we cannot let discriminatory, biased actions threaten that bond.” 

The letter, led by Rep. Gottheimer, is also signed by Reps. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Don Bacon (NE-2), Buddy Carter (GA-1), Elijah Crane (AZ-2), Randy Fine (FL-6), Charles Fleishmann (TN-3), Virginia Foxx (NC-5), Andrew Garbarino (NY-2), Jeff Hurd (CO-3), Thomas Kean (NJ-7), Mark Messmer (IN-8), Max Miller (OH-7), Barry Moore (AL-1), John Rose (TN-6), Pete Stauber (MN-8), Ann Wagner (MO-2), Daniel Webster (FL-11), Robert Wittman (VA-1), Scott Franklin (FL-18), Ronny Jackson (TX-14), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Barry Loudermilk (GA-11).

Read the full letter here and below:

Dear Taoiseach:

As friends of Ireland and strong advocates for a close relationship between Ireland and the United States, we write to express our deep concern over Ireland’s one-sided approach to Israel, a vital ally of the United States. In particular, we are deeply concerned about the proposed Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Act of 2025 and Ireland’s call for the internationally-recognized interpretation of the crime of genocide to be altered in order to target Israel.

The proposed legislation represents a discriminatory move by Ireland to economically target Israel and demonize the world’s only Jewish state. By criminalizing the importation of goods from Israeli businesses operating in the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem, this bill is an attempt to isolate Israel as a pariah. The bill creates a blatant double standard toward the Jewish state by singling out Israel while ignoring other territorial disputes around the world. Like successive U.S. administrations, we believe that the status of the West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem must be resolved through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, not by divisive, one-sided political theater from foreign parliaments.

Moreover, this legislation threatens to inflict real harm on American companies operating in Ireland. If enacted, it would put U.S. firms in direct conflict  with federal and state-level anti-boycott laws in the U.S., forcing them into an impossible legal position and jeopardizing their ability to do business in Ireland. Therefore, were it to pass this bill, Ireland would risk causing significant damage to its own economic credibility and partnerships with American commerce.

We are also deeply concerned about Ireland’s public claims that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and Ireland’s intervention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), calling on the Court to modify its test for recognizing genocidal intent. We strongly reject Ireland’s effort to distort the international legal standards related to this most serious crime in order to accuse Israel of committing it. We also object to Ireland’s ongoing dismissal of the substantial evidence that Israel’s intention in Gaza is to eliminate the security threat posed by Hamas while Hamas intentionally uses innocent civilians as human shields.

These steps are fueling rising antisemitic and anti-Zionist sentiment in Ireland and beyond. Therefore, we urge you to withdraw the proposed legislation and the intervention at the ICJ. Doing so would reaffirm Ireland’s longstanding commitment to diplomacy and international cooperation — and preserve the economic and diplomatic ties between our two nations.

Sincerely,

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

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