Ossian Smyth claims Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil blocked Occupied Territories Bill due to US pressure

Junior Public Expenditure Minister Ossian Smyth. File Picture:

The Occupied Territories Bill was blocked by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael because the US Democratic Party told them to, a Green Party minister has claimed.

Junior Public Expenditure Minister Ossian Smyth made the claim on a podcast hosted by students of secondary school Blackrock College.

“I think that the Occupied Territories Bill was blocked by Fine Gael and Fianna Fail because the Democratic Party in America asked them to block it. That's the reason,” Mr Smyth said.

“Ireland has a lot of investment from American companies, who spend a lot of money here and employ a lot of people, and I don’t think Fianna Fail and Fine Gael want to upset them.

“I think that is the reason the Occupied Territories Bill didn’t proceed, along with the fact they had advice from their Attorney General, their main lawyer in the country who advises the government, who told them there were problems with the Bill and it couldn’t proceed.” The Government had previously contended that the bill would breach EU law, but is now working to alter and progress the original bill after receiving updated legal advice and has now removed a technical obstacle known as a ‘money message’.

The Government has said that a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank allowed for a review of the Occupied Territories Bill.

Independent Senator Frances Black tabled the draft legislation in 2018 that would ban the import into Ireland of goods and services originating in illegal settlements in lands deemed as occupied under international law.

Following receipt of the revised legal advice from Attorney General Rossa Fanning, the Government signalled a desire to support the Bill, arguing the ICJ ruling had significantly changed the context.

However, the bill was not progressed in the last Dáil.