O'Gorman: Government 'kicking the can down the road' with Occupied Territories Bill 

The Government seeks to kick the can down the road after making extensive promises about passing the bill during the election campaign, Roderic O'Gorman said. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews

The Government is using claims of legal issues with banning services from illegal Israeli settlements to delay the passing of the Occupied Territories Bill, Roderic O'Gorman has said.

The Green Party leader said the distinction which is being raised by the Government between products and services is a new issue that "has been brought in subsequent to the general election".

The attempt to create a distinction between goods and services is concerning, Mr O'Gorman said.

The Government are seeking to kick the can down the road after having made extensive promises about passing the bill during the election campaign, he said.

"The Attorney General provided, last July, a very detailed assessment of Senator Frances Black's bill, raised some issues — some legitimate issues that can be addressed by amendments — there was no reference to an issue around services in his very detailed legal advice," Mr O'Gorman told RTÉ One's The Week in Politics.

There is no disagreement that amendments need to be made to the bill, he said, but there is no reason why the bill cannot be passed ahead of the Dáil summer recess "if there was the will".

At a time when the world has been put on notice that Israel intends to ethnically cleanse Gaza, Ireland has the opportunity to act, Mr O'Gorman said but instead the Government has only said it would publish a draft of the bill before the summer break, not pass it.

The passing of the bill would reverberate internationally, the Dublin TD said, and it would mark a significant change in approach.

Speaking on the same programme, Sinn Féin TD John Brady called on the Government to publish the Attorney General's advice to allow people to see for themselves whether or not there was a legal issue raised in terms of banning services from the occupied territories.

Speaking at the annual James Connolly Commemoration at Arbour Hill on Sunday, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said there is going to be a concerted attempt across the opposition parties to push the Government "even harder" to pass it as soon as possible.

Ms Bacik said she would like to see the bill passed before the autumn saying "we have waited long enough".

"The outgoing Government last year and indeed, Simon Harris, seemed to commit himself to passage of the bill so we will be pressing to have some further progress before the summer," she said.