Irish legislation on Israeli settlement trade is the 'most draconian anti-Jewish legislation since Nuremberg Laws' - MLA

Steve Aiken’s comments come after a prominent US senator said America will have to “seriously reconsider” its economic relationship with Ireland over the laws.

Jim Risch – who chairs the influential senate foreign relations committee – says the Republic is “on a hateful, anti-semitic path that will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering”.

One of America’s most prominent lawyers has also slammed the Republic’s approach – branding it “one of the most anti-semitic countries in Europe. Alan Dershowitz – famous for defending celebrities like OJ Simpson – also told Irish radio station Newstalk that the country had become “anti-Zionist” and “anti-Israel”.

Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Harris recently said new legislation banning trade with Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories was the country “speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza”. The laws have been approved by the Irish government, and are now going through scrutiny in the Dail.

Reacting to that announcement, Senator Jim Risch, who chairs the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, slammed Ireland’s approach.

In a post on social media platform X, he said: “Ireland, while often a valuable US partner, is on a hateful, anti-semitic path that will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering. If this legislation is implemented, America will have to seriously reconsider its deep and ongoing economic ties. We will always stand up to blatant antisemitism.”

Ulster Unionist Steve Aiken says the proposed Irish law is “the most draconian anti-Jewish legislation in Europe since the Nuremberg Laws”. The comparison – which is likely to prove controversial – references laws in Nazi Germany which defined a citizen of the country as a person who is “of German or related blood”. That meant Jews, who were defined as a separate race, could not be full citizens of Germany.

The South Antrim MLA told the News Letter: “When Senator Jim Risch Chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that’s that your ‘on a hateful, antisemitic path’ you would expect the Irish Government to listen.

“As good Europeans, you would also expect you would be listening to what the rest of Europe was saying, with the exception of the ultra-Left Spanish Government, about your virulent anti-Israel/Zionist, anti-semitic language.

“Has it ever occurred to those in Leinster or Iveagh House that freeloading on security, whilst lecturing the world on human rights, whilst bashing Israel at every turn and giving Iran a by ball at every opportunity would not come at a cost?

“Many in Northern Ireland are very familiar with Irish exceptionalism, whether it is on legacy, culture, ideology or identity, of just having to listen to the Irish President, Simon Coveney, Simon Harris and Leo Veradkar for years; but taking the same tone with the US and the majority of the EU is never going to be acceptable in either Washington, Brussels or Berlin. The legislation has been rightly called out by Alan Shatter and others as the most draconian anti-Jewish legislation in Europe since the Nuremberg Laws.

“The Senate Foreign Relations Committee sees it, the Irish need to understand anti-semitic grandstanding will have a heavy price to pay”.

Last month, Irish deputy prime minister Simon Harris TD said Ireland is the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories – but “every country must pull every lever at its disposal”.

Mr Harris said all Government TDs will be expected to back the legislation as it forms part of the Programme for Government.

“Let’s not forget one thing before we get into the detail of the legislation, there isn’t another country in the European Union that you can visit today and ask a government minister about their Bill to ban trade and the detail of it, because they don’t have one,” he added.

“We’re the first country in the European Union to take this step. We’re the first country in the European Union say, yes, trade is a European competency, and it’ll be a hell of a lot better if Europe moves together, and a hell of a lot more impactful.

“But in the absence of Europe moving together, we’re going to go ahead with our own domestic legislation.

“I would really ask the opposition here not to do this lazy politicking of you know, opposition good, government bad. Everybody in this country is sickened to the pit of their stomach with the genocide they see in Gaza.

“They don’t care, the people of Ireland, who they vote for in an election in relation to this, they just know in their gut what is happening, particularly children in Gaza, is genocide is wrong, and everyone has to do everything they want”.