By: Fern Sidman

As the Irish Parliament prepares to finalize legislation that would criminalize the importation of products manufactured in Judea and Samaria, Israeli officials are issuing grave warnings about the bill’s implications—not only for trade, but for Jewish rights and Western values at large. At the forefront of this effort is Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who has sent an urgent letter to senior members of the Trump administration and U.S. lawmakers, calling for punitive economic measures against Ireland should the legislation be enacted.

According to a report that appeared on Sunday at Israel National News (INN), Dagan’s letter accuses the Irish government of spearheading what he termed “the most dangerous form of antisemitism now sanctioned in Europe since the Holocaust,” by advancing a law that would discriminate explicitly and solely against Jews based on their place of residence and identity.

The legislation in question aims to prohibit the import and sale of goods produced in Israeli communities located in Judea and Samaria—an area recognized by the Trump administration as legitimate under international law. Dagan’s letter, obtained by INN, forcefully rejects Ireland’s claim that the measure promotes peace or international justice. Instead, he contends it legitimizes violence and extremism by punishing law-abiding Israeli citizens while rewarding the Palestinian Authority’s long-standing incitement to terror.

“This is not about international law or human rights,” Dagan wrote. “This is antisemitic legislation that discriminates solely against Jews living in Judea and Samaria. It penalizes Jewish economic activity, criminalizes peaceful life, and emboldens Palestinian terrorism.”

He continued, “If Ireland passes an official law that boycotts Jews alone, it will crown itself as an antisemitic state. A country that turns antisemitic—contrary to American policy—cannot be ignored by the free world.”

As the INN report highlighted, Dagan’s appeal draws directly from the Trump administration’s declared position on Judea and Samaria. In 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued the landmark announcement that Israeli settlements in the territory are “not per se inconsistent with international law,” fundamentally shifting the U.S. approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dagan emphasized that the proposed Irish law not only contradicts this position but also undermines a decade of American diplomatic efforts aimed at fostering direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, rather than external coercion.

“To criminalize trade with Jews because of where they live is a grotesque inversion of justice,” Dagan wrote. “This law does not advance peace—it stifles coexistence. It penalizes those who build lives, homes, and businesses rather than plant bombs or preach hate.”

According to the information provided in the INN report, the Trump administration has historically been unsparing in its condemnation of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which the Irish bill is widely viewed as supporting. The State Department has repeatedly stated that BDS activities are inherently discriminatory and incompatible with American values.

In light of these concerns, Dagan’s letter does not merely express outrage; it proposes concrete action. He urged the Trump administration and members of Congress to consider imposing high tariffs or other economic sanctions on Ireland should the law move forward.

As reported by INN, Dagan argued that punitive measures are essential not just as a deterrent, but as a moral stance. “Economic discrimination against Jews cannot be met with silence,” he wrote. “The free world must send an unmistakable message: we will not tolerate state-sponsored antisemitism, in any form, from any nation.”

He further warned that failure to act would establish a perilous precedent. “If this passes unchallenged, it will not stop with Ireland. Other countries will follow. Today they target Jews in Judea and Samaria. Tomorrow it will be Jews in Jerusalem. This is how it begins,” he cautioned.

The debate in Ireland comes at a time of rising antisemitic incidents across Europe and the Western world. INN has previously reported on coordinated attempts by BDS-aligned activists to use legislative bodies to advance the delegitimization of Israel under the pretext of humanitarian concern. However, critics say these efforts overwhelmingly ignore Palestinian corruption, incitement, and rejectionism, while singling out Israel for uniquely harsh treatment.

Dagan’s message, as reported by INN, is that this Irish legislation does not exist in isolation. It is part of a broader ideological assault on the legitimacy of the Jewish presence in the historic Land of Israel—and a dangerous effort to internationalize and codify that assault in law.

“Judea and Samaria are not occupied territories,” Dagan asserted. “They are the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Their residents are not criminals. They are citizens building peaceful communities in the face of terrorism.”

As the final debate in the Irish Parliament looms, the pressure on U.S. policymakers to respond continues to mount. According to the information provided in the INN report, several pro-Israel members of Congress are already reviewing Dagan’s letter and considering potential legislative or diplomatic responses.

On July 3^rd, The Jewish Voice reported that Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-ID) delivered a searing condemnation of Ireland’s recent policies targeting Israeli trade, accusing the Irish government of “embracing antisemitism” and warning of potential economic consequences should the legislation proceed.

Risch’s warning comes against the backdrop of intensifying diplomatic friction between Ireland and Israel—a rift that widened significantly following the Hamas-led terrorist assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. While the U.S. has largely supported Israel’s right to self-defense, Dublin has emerged as one of the most vociferous international critics of Israel’s conduct during the war.

Ireland’s criticism has been matched by tangible policy measures. In May 2024, the Irish government formally recognized a Palestinian state—making it one of the first EU countries to do so in the wake of the conflict. The move was met with outrage in Jerusalem. Israel’s foreign ministry condemned the recognition as “a gift to terror,” and Israel subsequently recalled its ambassador from Dublin.

The latest legislative proposal, currently under consideration in the Irish parliament, would restrict imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements—an initiative Risch and others have described as discriminatory and economically provocative. “This isn’t principled diplomacy,” one Republican aide told The Algemeiner. “It’s punitive grandstanding.”

In his concluding remarks, Dagan framed the moment as a test—not just of U.S.-Israel relations, but of the West’s moral clarity. “A free society must choose between supporting truth and siding with slander,” he wrote. “This is a defining moment. Will America stand with its values—or remain silent in the face of institutionalized antisemitism in Europe?”

With the Irish Parliament’s vote expected on Tuesday, the answer may come sooner than anyone anticipated. As the INN report noted, the consequences of that vote could reverberate far beyond the Emerald Isle—reaching all the way to Washington, Jerusalem, and the very heart of the Jewish people’s future in their land.