The Ancient Order of Hibernians has sent a letter to Congresswoman Claudia Tenney expressing concern over the way Ireland’s proposed Occupied Territories Bill was characterized in her August 7 letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and in related public statements.
The AOH, in a release, stressed that it was taking no position on the merits or shortcomings of the Occupied Territories Bill itself.
Rather, its concern "is strictly with the accuracy of how the legislation is presented and the fairness with which Ireland is represented."
The AOH, according to its release, "notes that Congresswoman Tenney’s letter inaccurately portrays Ireland’s Occupied Territories Bill as a wholesale boycott of Israel.
"In fact, the legislation, as introduced, targets only goods and services from territories internationally recognized as occupied; portraying it as a ban on trade with Israel as a whole ignores a long-standing separation recognized by successive U.S. administrations—Republican and Democrat alike, including under President Trump. This important fact is inexplicably overlooked."
The release added: "More troubling, the press release accompanying the letter - and the letter itself - used charged phrases such as 'a blatant attempt to isolate and delegitimize Israel' and 'discriminatory,' while quoting advocacy groups that labeled Ireland 'antisemitic' or accused it of engaging in 'bigoted boycotts.'"
Such language, the release added, "presumes malign intent, substitutes ad hominem attacks for substantive analysis, and circumvents the rational debate needed. It should have no place in responsible public discourse.
Said Neil F. Cosgrove, National Political Education Chair of the AOH: “Members of Congress hold a sacred responsibility to present policy disagreements accurately and in good faith, particularly when the reputations of allied nations and the integrity of U.S. law are at stake.
"As we have seen recently with the Vice President’s statements in response to U.K. moves to recognize Palestine, allies can disagree on foreign policy. Misrepresentation and inciteful rhetoric serve no one. We hope such mischaracterizations will not be repeated."
The letter to Congresswoman Tenney, penned by Neil Cosgrove, states: "Dear Congresswoman Tenney: I am writing in my capacity as the National Political Education Chair of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in reference to your August 7, 2025 letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent concerning Ireland's proposed Occupied Territories Bill. While I, and the Hibernians, take no position here on the merits or shortcomings of the bill itself, I must express concern with the way it was characterized in your correspondence and related public statements.
"The Occupied Territories Bill, as introduced, applies only to goods and services originating from settlements in territories that the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations recognize as occupied--principally the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. It does not ban trade with Israel as a recognized sovereign state. By treating a restriction on goods from the occupied territories as equivalent to a boycott of Israel as a whole, your letter disregards the distinction that has been maintained by successive U.S. administrations, Republican and Democrat alike, including the Trump administration.
"Equally troubling is the tone and framing of your correspondence. Phrases such as "a blatant attempt to isolate and delegitimize Israel" and "discriminatory" presume malign intent without engaging with the actual text or scope of the bill. Such language generates considerable heat and smoke at the expense of the light that reasoned discourse should provide.
"Finally, your decision to quote in your press release on the letter advocacy groups that go so far as to label Ireland "antisemitic" or a participant in "bigoted boycotts" is especially problematic. These statements substitute ad hominem attacks for rational argument and reveal clear prejudices of their own. Disagreeing with the foreign policy of any nation is not in itself evidence of prejudice against its people, conflating the two shuts down the informed debate necessary to reach solutions.
"Members of Congress hold a sacred responsibility to present policy disagreements accurately and in good faith, particularly when the reputations of allied nations and the integrity of U.S. law are at stake. I respectfully urge you, in any future engagement, to ensure that your comments accurately reflect the scope of the legislation under discussion, and to distinguish between opposition to a nation's policies and prejudice against its people. Such standards are essential if this debate is to be grounded in fact rather than misrepresentation. I hope that, going forward, such mischaracterizations will not be repeated.
Copies of the AOH letter were sent to fifteen additional members of Congress, all of them Republican, who had signed on to Rep. Tenney's letter to Secretary Bessent.
