Occupied Territories Bill banning trade in goods passed by Dáil

Government hits back at opposition claims its bill does not go far enough to tackle illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land

Fine Gael's Neale Richmond said the bill fully delivers Government's pledge to prohibit the imporation of goods from the occupied Palestinian territories. Picture: PA

A Bill banning the trade of goods — but not services — from the occupied Palestinian territories has been passed by the Dáil.

The bill was passed on Tuesday despite the opposition arguing that it did not go far enough to combat illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land by omitting services.

Several amendments to the Government’s bill, including an amendment to include services in the ban, were voted down.

The Government’s bill prohibits the import of goods from “certain Israeli settlements”, in line with its international obligations as set out in the advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice from July 2024.

Frances Black's bill

It was tabled to replace Independent Senator Frances Black’s 2018 Occupied Territories Bill, which banned all trade from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill was tabled to replace Senator Black’s bill, which has been a popular demand from pro-Palestine protesters in Ireland.

But concern has been raised about the Government’s version of the bill, which leaves out a ban on the trade of services.

The Government has said that a ban on the trade of services is more complex than goods and the bill needs to be legally watertight before it is enacted.

Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee has been back and forth with “questions and queries” to Attorney General Rossa Fanning on the bill in the past few months.

Government's bill 'fully' delivers

Speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Neale Richmond said the bill “fully” delivers on the Programme for Government pledge to prohibit goods from the occupied Palestinian territories.

He said the Government needed to “soundly and completely” produce legislation that was in line with international law, particularly if it was going to criticise Israel’s breach of international law in relation to illegal settlements.

He suggested that EU legislation meant there were “huge challenges” in the enforcement of a ban on the “broad and wide ranging” trade of services.

He said the EU is bound by international law and member states must identify the correct legal level at which to act.

He said if amendments proposed by opposition TDs were accepted, it would make the bill “unworkable” and “wide open to legal challenge”.

Sinn Féin’s Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said the Government had not been clear on what the legal advice on the bill had been.

'Spain is leading the way'

The Social Democrats’ Sinéad Gibney said the Government approach was a “ping pong” between staying in line with the EU and “go it alone” by taking action, calling it a “weaponising” of EU membership.

She said Spain was “leading the way” in its approach, where a ban on the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements is already in place, and accused the Government of “dragging your feet” on the bill.

Bill 'rammed through'

Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger said the bill was being “rammed through” and will have “very little” impact on the lives of Palestinian people.

Richmond said there was a public policy “exception” on goods that give Ireland an opportunity to act.

He said it was not “sinister” or “weaponising” to bring about legislation that would ban the trade of goods from occupied Palestinian territories and that the proposed legislation was “cast iron” in compliance with international law.

He said the legislation was not “at the behest” of opposition from the US and said that during six trips he has made to the US the legislation was not brought up with him once.