A DIPLOMATIC rift has emerged between the US and Ireland following remarks by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said the Irish should ‘sober up.’
He went on to criticise Ireland's proposed Occupied Territories Bill (OTB)—legislation that would ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The bill, introduced by Independent Senator Frances Black and under scrutiny in the Oireachtas since 2018, has gained new momentum amid Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
If passed, it would make Ireland the first EU member state to prohibit trade with goods produced in Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law.
Mike Huckabee, an avowed Christian Zionist and former Arkansas governor, took to social media this week to criticise the bill, calling it “so stupid” and accusing Ireland of “diplomatic intoxication.”
In a post on X, Huckabee wrote:
“Did the Irish fall into a vat of Guinness and propose something so stupid that it would be attributed to an act of diplomatic intoxication? It will harm Arabs as much as Israelis. Sober up Ireland!”
The remarks have drawn immediate backlash for their stereotypical reference to Irish drinking culture.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin condemned the ambassador’s comments as not only offensive but also dangerously dismissive of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
“I reject the comments made by the ambassador,” Martin said in a press conference.
“This kind of row is ridiculous, given the enormity of the killing and destruction that’s happening in Gaza. The slaughter of children must stop. The time for this war to end has long passed.”
The Occupied Territories Bill, officially titled the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025, aims to prohibit the import of goods and services produced in illegal settlements in the West Bank.
The Irish Government has cited international law, including findings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which state that Israel's settlement activities and exploitation of Palestinian land are violations of international humanitarian law.
TD Duncan Smith highlighted that Israel’s actions are not uniquely targeted by Irish foreign policy.
He pointed out that Ireland previously passed a similar ban in 2014 regarding trade with Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine.
Independent TD Catherine Connolly called on the government to fully implement all aspects of the bill: “The violation of international law puts an obligation on us to do all we can in the face of genocide and slaughter.”
Ireland has a long history of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
This was reaffirmed in May 2024 when Ireland formally recognised the State of Palestine.
In response, Israel closed its embassy in Dublin and called Ireland’s policies “extremely anti-Israel.”
Opposition to the bill has not only come from the US envoy and Israeli officials but also from some figures within Ireland itself.
Former Minister for Justice Alan Shatter described the bill as reminiscent of Nazi-era laws, calling it “the first Boycott Jews bill by a European government since 1945.”
However, Committee Chair John Lahart rebuked this accusation, calling it “hugely hurtful and slanderous.”
Irish lawmakers insist that the bill is aimed not at Israel or Jewish people, but rather at illegal settlement’s that violate international law.
Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, criticised the bill as a “performance of misguided effort” that could alienate Jewish communities within Ireland.
While largely symbolic, as Taoiseach Martin noted, the bill’s passage could strain Ireland’s diplomatic relationships, particularly with the US.
For many in Ireland, the legislation is a moral imperative in the face of what they see as war crimes and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Nearly 60,000 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
Martin reiterated Ireland’s commitment to peace and international law: “Ireland stands for peace and a political pathway forward… Israel needs to focus on ending the war that is slaughtering innocent civilians.”
