Helen McEntee has rejected the assertion of a senior US Senator that Ireland and the Occupied Territories Bill are antisemitic. 

Last month, the Cabinet gave its approval to the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill and it will now be scrutinised by TDs and Senators. 

In its current form, the bill would make it an offence to import goods from Israel’s occupied territories in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which were seized during the Six Day War in 1967. 

In response to the bill’’s publication, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Senator Jim Risch described Ireland as a “valuable U.S. partner”. 

However, he added that the country is “on a hateful, antisemitic path that will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering”. 

He warned that if the legislation is enacted, then the United States would “have to seriously reconsider its deep and ongoing economic ties”. 

Photograph of Taoiseach Micheál Martin with US President Donald Trump. Picture by: Tasos Katopodis / Government of Ireland.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Education Minister Helen McEntee said people who believe the legislation is antisemitic are “just wrong”. 

“It’s very clear Ireland has been very vocal in our condemnation of what’s been happening,” she said. 

“And that was equally the case for what happened in October a year and a half ago with Hamas - we support basic human rights and human dignity.

“So, I push back completely on that and being vocal in our support for basic human rights and dignity against the starvation and killing of people in any way equates us with being anti-semitic.

“To bring it back to World War Two, we have been a neutral country and, in fact, we have been a country that tried to bring peace across the world.” 

The Israeli flag outside the fromer embassy building in Dublin. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov/ RollingNews.ie.

Minister McEntee described the legislation as ‘not straightforward’ and noted that it will not ban all trade with Israel, only with the country’s occupied territories. 

“That’s why we’re not rushing this, that’s why it’s taken time for us to even get to where we are now,” she explained. 

“It’s only because of the ruling of the International Court that we’re able to make progress in the way that we are. 

“This is very clearly a bill that prohibits the sale of goods in Occupied Territories.” 

When asked about the impact of the legislation on Ireland’s relationship with the United States, Minister McEntee said she expected that “those relationships will continue to be strong.” 

“We will do everything that we can to work through that, but that should never stop us from doing what’s right and from calling out what is wrong,” she said. 

“And that’s what I believe we’re doing here.” 

Israeli Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich has described the bill as “prejudiced”. 

“Indeed, it might be the first time since Nazi Germany that any European Government has promoted a law to specifically boycott goods produced within the only Jewish state,” she tweeted. 

Main image: A split of Helen McEntee and the Israeli flag. Pictures by: PA Wire/PA Images and Artur Widak/NurPhoto.