Ireland’s Shameful Boycott of Israel

Sometimes, it is hard to tell what century we are in. This week, Ireland became the first European country to introduce legislation banning imports from parts of Israel – specifically, the Biblical heartlands of Judea and Samaria. It is a move so deeply misguided and so pathetically symbolic, it leaves you wondering: what message is Ireland trying to send?

Certainly not one of solidarity with the only democracy in the Middle East.

Not one of empathy with the Israeli families in Sderot and Kiryat Shmona – children growing up under rocket fire, babies learning to crawl in bomb shelters.

Not one of acknowledgement for the hostages still held by Hamas, or the horrors of October 7^th – the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

No, Ireland is silent on all of that. Silent on the barrage of missiles from Hezbollah in the north. Silent on the trauma of mothers raising children in war zones. Silent on the everyday miracle of a nation defending itself while simultaneously delivering humanitarian aid and even medical care to its enemies.

Instead, Ireland finds its voice to lecture. To condemn. To ban Jewish goods.

It is a disgrace.

This is the first time since the defeat of Nazi Germany that any European government has promoted a law to specifically boycott Jewish-produced goods. Think about that for a second. In a world full of brutal regimes, genocidal dictators, and repressive theocracies, it is Jewish farmers in Samaria that Ireland has decided to punish.

You can’t make this up.

Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Harris, introduced this bill under the guise of standing for “human rights.” But whose rights are we really talking about here? Certainly not those of the Israeli families who are under constant threat of annihilation. Certainly not the 1,200 Israelis murdered on October 7 in their homes and kibbutzim.

Let me be clear: this is not about peace, and it is certainly not about justice. It is about signaling. It is about pandering, pathetic pandering. And worst of all, it is about ignoring the complexity of a region where Israel has shown time and again that it is committed to resilience and renewal, even in the face of unspeakable hatred.

Ireland has chosen the easy path – symbolic condemnation over substance, gesture politics over moral clarity. But Israel, as always, chooses the hard road. The road of defending life, even while being condemned for doing so. The road of innovating the future of Israel, while the world recycles its tired old biases.

It is painful to write this. There is so much to admire about the Irish spirit – its warmth, its wit, its long history of struggle (and, yes, its Guinness stout!). But on this, Ireland has lost its moral compass – absolutely.

Let us hope this bill never becomes law. Let us hope Ireland wakes up to the shame of what it’s doing.

And let us hope the world remembers: resilience, not boycott, builds peace. Renewal, not rejection, lights the path forward.

Until then, Israel stands tall.