'Important step': Ban on services must be included in Occupied Territories Bill, committee says

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A BAN ON SERVICES should be included in the updated Occupied Territories Bill, an Oireachtas committee has recommended.
The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade launched their pre-legislative scrutiny report on the proposed law today.
In its current form, the Bill only applies to goods imported from illegal Israeli settlements, but the government has faced backlash for not including services, with Labour accusing the Taoiseach of instead publishing a 'retreat'.
Micheál Martin has commented on the difficulty of incorporating services into the Bill, stating that it is 'genuinely more complex than goods transferring' due to issues over defining where the service originates.
However,
Simon Harris has vowed to seek their inclusion
, if possible.
The
Occupied Territories Bill
was first introduced by Independent Senator Francis Black in 2018 and proposed making it an offence 'for a person to import or sell goods or services originating in an occupied territory or to extract resources from an occupied territory in certain circumstances'.
The slightly amended Bill proposed now by the Tánaiste would make it a crime under the Customs Act 2015 to import goods into Ireland that originate in Israeli settlements built over what is legally recognised as Palestinian land.
Black said today that the recommendation from the cross-party committee is a 'hugely important step'.
'The inclusion of a ban on services, which would include tech and IT, is hugely significant,' she added, calling it a crucial component of the legislation.
Speaking about the misinformation pushed about the Bill, she said the committee members 'saw through it', adding that it is important to state that the majority of businesses will not be impacted by the bill as they do not trade with the Occupied Territories.
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The government must now deliver upon their promises to enact the legislation. 'I believe they will, I actually believe they will,' she told the media today.
Senator Frances Black
Oireachtas.ie
Oireachtas.ie
Chairperson of the Oireachtas committee, Fianna Fáil's John Lahart said while the Bill has been described as largely symbolic, it remains 'important'.
He commented on how Ireland's reputation has been tarnished by some, stating that there have been smears and lies said about the country due to the position it has taken on this piece of legislation.
The committee is invested in ensuring the country's objectives with this bill are communicated appropriately, he added, stating that Ireland should not suffer reputational damage over it.
The committee also urged the government to make the Attorney General's advice on the Bill available to them.
Also speaking at the launch today, Fianna Fáil TD and former Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said that if the government decides now not to include services in the bill, their reasoning will need to be 'as compelling' as the evidence the committee heard in relation to why services should be included.
'The evidence presented to us to include goods and services was overwhelming,' he said.
Ó Fearghaíl added that he believes the government will include services in the bill.
'I would be quite confident that the government will use its influence through Europe, and the UN, and internationally to build support for this initiative,' he said.
Likewise, Fine Gael TD Brian Brennan, who also sits on the committee, said:
'We cannot lose sight of what this is about. It's about the kids, the parents, the grandparents who are starving to death and dying on a daily basis. We can talk about financial, political [repercussions] but there is a serious moral issue here… We are a small country but we are a proud country with moral standards.'
Needs to be enacted as soon as possible
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, has welcomed the committee's recommendation stating that the message to government is clear: 'We cannot have a watered-down Occupied Territories Bill. We need it to be comprehensive, we need it to have teeth and we need it enacted as soon as possible.'
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'It is a hugely significant step forward that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade has recommended that the government legislation on the Occupied Territories include a ban on not only trade in goods, but also trade in services.
'The situation that we see on our television screens and on our phones on a daily basis is intolerable – we are seeing deliberate starvation and human suffering on an incredible scale, and we are seeing people shot as they queue for aid. The world cannot simply look on,' he said.
The committee launching its report in Leinster House in front of the media.
Senator Alice-Mary Higgins, who is a member of the committee and co-sponsor of the Original Occupied Territories Bill introduced by Senator Frances Black in 2018, welcomed the report and its strong recommendations, particularly the recommendation to end trade in both goods and services from illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
'A euro of support is a euro of support'
Speaking on the launch, Senator Higgins stated:
'The report is clear, there should be no dilution and no delays. The Committee want to see the Bill advanced as 'a matter of urgency' and believe it should include a prohibition of both goods and services in line with our obligations under international law.'
Conor O'Neill, Christian Aid Ireland's Head of Policy and spokesperson for the Campaign to Pass the Occupied Territories Bill, said the committee has made it abundantly clear that Ireland needs to act.
'Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether you're importing a box of olives produced on stolen Palestinian farmland or booking a holiday rental in a stolen Palestinian home on a service platform like Airbnb.
'A euro of support is a euro of support, and the ICJ was clear that all of it has to end. We are calling on the government to listen to the Foreign Affairs Committee and the ICJ and pass a full, effective Occupied Territories Bill as soon as the Dáil resumes in September,' he said.
With reporting from Jane Matthews
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