The Ancient Order of Hibernians has written to Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) calling out what it describes as "factual distortions and inflammatory rhetoric" in an October 6 letter to Taoiseach Micheál Martin concerning Ireland’s proposed Occupied Territories (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill.
In the communication, AOH Political Education Chair Neil F. Cosgrove stressed that the organization takes no position on Middle East policy or on the merits of the Irish legislation.
The AOH’s concern, Cosgrove argues, is a calculated campaign of distortion that misrepresents Ireland’s intent and weaponizes false accusations of antisemitism for domestic political effect.
“The proposed Irish legislation applies solely to goods produced in the Occupied Territories, which the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations all recognize as distinct from the State of Israel,” Cosgrove stated.
“It is both unjustified and factually indefensible to label Ireland antisemitic by misrepresenting the intent and scope of its proposed legislation.”
Cosgrove condemned what he described as "a calculated campaign of distortion" aimed at a small democratic ally — one easy to impugn and generate salacious headlines about because it is perceived to pose no political risk.
“The suggestion that Ireland is promoting antisemitism is baseless,” Cosgrove stated in the AOH release, while noting that Ireland’s Jewish community has lived peacefully and with full rights for centuries and that Irish peacekeepers have served along the Israeli-Lebanese border since 1978, protecting the peace for both Lebanese and Israeli civilians.
“To equate a foreign-policy disagreement between democratic nations with violent acts of antisemitism elsewhere trivializes real hatred and substitutes inflammatory rhetoric for reasoned discussion,” he stated.
The letter, said an accompanying release, also corrects Congressman Gottheimer’s portrayal of Ireland’s participation in proceedings before the International Court of Justice, pointing out that Ireland is one of eleven nations to do so and that its action reflects a consistent commitment to international law.
"Cosgrove contrasts the sharp criticism of Ireland with the muted response to similar actions by allied democracies, observing that such selective outrage reveals politics, not principle — a willingness to exploit a friendly democracy precisely because it is perceived to be politically safe to do so, while remaining silent when other nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, take similar positions."
Cosgrove concluded by reminding the congressman that Ireland has long been one of America’s most reliable allies, including allowing nearly three million U.S. troops to transit through Shannon Airport during the War on Terror despite domestic opposition and risk to its neutrality.
“Ireland stood by the United States and respected its sovereignty in foreign-policy decisions when it mattered,” he stated.
“It deserves the same respect in return — especially from those who should know better than to turn it into a stage prop for political theater.”
