Government accused of 'dangerous cop-out' in 'hollowed-out' Occupied Territories Bill

However, the bill does not include services in its ban, something Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said put Ireland on the "wrong side of history".

"Excluding services and pushing forward with hollowed-out legislation is a cop-out and a dangerous one. It can't happen. The people of Palestine, of Gaza, slaughtered, besieged, brutalised, and starved, look to Ireland for support, and we simply cannot turn our backs. 

Services, along with goods, must be banned. The sanction must be effective, and Taoiseach either you accept international law or you don't.

In response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin accused Ms McDonald of "distorting" the Government position on the issue and said the opposition was guilty of "shallow rhetoric" and "sloganeering". He said the ban would affect about €200,000 of imported fruit and vegetables.

"There is an issue in terms of what will happen if services were included in terms of our own jobs in this country, and potential attacks on multinationals who are based here, that is the reality. I don't mind, people can dismiss that. I don't dismiss it. I have to protect about 250,000 jobs in this country too."

After the Government meeting, foreign affairs and trade minister Helen McEntee said Ireland had "continually advocated for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and has consistently sought to progress implementation of the two-state solution".

“It is clear from the actions of the Israeli government, both in Gaza and in the West Bank, that they have no intention of reaching a peaceful resolution to the conflict or ending the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.

“The Government’s position, and indeed that of the EU, is clear — settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the realisation of the two-state solution," Ms McEntee added.

She said it remained the Government’s preference that collective action against Israel would be taken at EU level. 

"This will have greater impact and I will continue to actively pursue this, alongside wider actions at the United Nations and elsewhere, in cooperation with regional and like-minded partners in support of the two-state solution.”

Independent senator Frances Black, who originally tabled the bill in 2018, said the Government version was "deeply disappointing".

“What the Government have announced today is essentially a partial ban on trade with the illegal Israeli settlements. Seeking to ban the import of physical goods like fruit and vegetables, shamefully stolen from Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank, is obviously necessary and was included in my original legislation, but it is not enough. 

"It omits the majority of Irish trade, in intangible services like tech and IT, and greatly undermines the scope of the legislation. Government still haven’t given any coherent, detailed justification for this beyond short soundbites.”