ieExplains: What is the Occupied Territories Bill and why is it in the news?

The Occupied Territories Bill was first introduced in 2018, but the Government is set to bring it back for debate to the Dáil in the coming weeks

A sign calling for the implementation of the Occupied Territories Bill at a protest outside Taoiseach Micheál Martin's Cork office last year. It has been thrown into sharp focus again after Irish activists were among many detained by Israeli forces while part of a Gaza-bound flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea. Picture: Noel Sweeney

Last week, foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee said the Government is set to bring back the Occupied Territories Bill to the Dáil within the coming weeks.

A long-debated piece of legislation, the issue had been thrown into sharp focus again after Irish activists were among many detained by Israeli forces while part of a Gaza-bound flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea.