Cabinet approves move to draft an occupied territories Bill

Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he hopes other European Union countries will join Ireland in planning to ban trade from illegally occupied Palestinian territories.

Mr Harris, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, today secured Cabinet approval to draft legislation that would ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.

This means “heads” of the bill ( a summary of each section) will be drawn up and likely forwarded to the foreign affairs committee for pre-legislative scrutiny. This is likely to happen next month.

The current Government plans fall short of a ban on goods and services as first proposed by Independent senator Frances Black in 2018 in her Occupied Territories Bill.

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The campaign for the Occupied Territories Bill to be passed gained added impetus amid Israel’s war in Gaza, which was prompted by the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Fifty-seven are still being held, about 20 of whom are assumed to be alive.

More than 50,000 people have been killed as a result of the Israeli military operations since, said the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

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Last year the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are in breach of international law.

The advisory opinion it issued led to the last Government here to seek new legal advice on the Occupied Territories Bill.

On Tuesday Mr Harris said Ireland’s proposed ban on trade with the illegally occupied territories is “in line” with the ICJ advisory opinion.

He said the Government’s plans are “in many ways [ ...] a small measure.

“But it is imperative on all countries to do all that we can to maximise the pressure and conditions to bring about a ceasefire because the scale of humanitarian disaster is almost unimaginable, is certainly unconscionable and certainly is a war crime.

“And what I hope today is when this small country in Europe takes the decision to become one of the very first countries – and probably the first country in the western world to consider legislation in this space I do hope it inspires other European countries to join us.”

Mr Harris thanked Ms Black for her “constructive engagement” with him on the issue of also banning services from illegal Israeli settlements.

He said: “Contrary to the misrepresentation of this by some in Opposition there isn’t a policy difference. We’re all equally appalled and sickened at what’s happening in Gaza. It is a war crime, it is genocidal activity.”

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Also speaking to reporters before Cabinet, Taoiseach Micheál Martin put the planned legislation in the context of “the ongoing horrors that are occurring in Gaza and the absolute need for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages and the end of the slaughter”.

He said the “indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians and the killing of families and the destruction of entire households is beyond any moral compass”.

“There’s an urgency on the entire world to put pressure on Israel to bring this war to an immediate end,” he said.

Senator Black said the decision today by Government is a “really important and welcome step, but our work is not done yet”.

She said she is “relieved we are finally seeing some action” after “seven years of delay”.

“The onus is now on Government to act with the urgency this moment demands – to stand firmly against the horrific war crimes being committed both in Gaza and the West Bank,” she said.

However, the details must be right, and the Bill should follow the standard she set in the original proposal she tabled and what the International Court of Justice says is required, she said.

“We need to see a full ban on all trade with the illegal Israeli settlements, which includes both physical goods like fruit and veg, but also intangible services like tech and IT,” she said.