Latest news with #OccupiedTerritoriesBill
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Government briefs pro-Palestine EU allies on Occupied Territories Bill
Senior Government figures have briefed the governments of other EU member states about the new Irish legislation which would ban trade in goods with the occupied Palestinian territories. As frustrations rise among some EU countries at this week's EU summit in Brussels about the bloc's inability to take a strong position on Gaza , there has been growing interest among member states sympathetic to the Palestinians. Senior Irish Government sources confirmed there has been significant recent interest from other countries, seeking to know more about the Occupied Territories Bill . The Government this week published a summary of the intended Bill, which is due to be discussed at the Oireachtas foreign affairs committee in the coming weeks but will probably not become law until the autumn. The Bill would ban trade in goods – but not services – with businesses based in the occupied Palestinian territories. READ MORE One senior source said there had been 'a lot of contacts' from countries 'who share our view'. It is understood they wish to understand the 'narrow legal pathway' the Government has identified that would make such a move permissible under EU law. Restricting trade from occupied Palestinian territories on an EU-wide basis has also come on to the radar of several capitals recently. Earlier this month the foreign ministers of Belgium, Spain, Finland, Luxembourg, Ireland and four others raised the matter with the European Commission, the EU executive led by Ursula von der Leyen that sets trade policy. The group asked the commission to examine whether the union should 'discontinue' trade with illegal Israeli settlements. During the summit Slovenia raised the idea of 'like-minded' countries taking action against Israel outside of EU channels, if the bloc still could not agree on measures. Spain's left-wing prime minister Pedro Sánchez said the EU's failure to suspend its trade deal with Israel pointed to a 'double standard', given the extensive economic sanctions put on Russia after it invaded Ukraine . It is understood Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu was lobbying some EU leaders on the eve of the summit, putting in calls to traditional allies, such as Austria. Meanwhile, in the Dáil Tánaiste Simon Harris called on Opposition party leaders to ask their political counterparts in the EU to draw up their own Occupied Territories legislation. Mr Harris said 'we're the only Government in the entire European Union that has published any legislation ever in relation to banning trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories'. 'I'd be very, very grateful if every member of the Opposition in a leadership position would ... pick up the telephone and contact your political counterparts in the European Union and ask them, where's their Occupied Palestinian Territories Bill. When are they publishing it?' He was responding to renewed criticism over the failure to include services in the Bill, which bans trade with Israeli settlements in the territories. Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said the exclusion meant the legislation 'doesn't have even half the power of the original Bill', introduced in 2018 by Independent Senator Frances Black. She said the legislation would only affect 'a fraction' of the EU's €3.2 billion trade with Israel and that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) makes no distinction between goods and services. Mr Harris said they would 'tease through' the legal issues in relation to services 'and if we can make progress in relation to that, that's exactly what we intend to do'. But 'we need other countries to move' and if TDs wanted to help save lives in Gaza 'we need to call on other EU member states to join us and bring forward their own legislation and stop waiting for EU unanimity'.
The Journal
2 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
The Tánaiste has published the outline of the Occupied Territories Bill - here's what's in it
TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS yesterday published a broad outline of the updated Occupied Territories Bill as he endeavours to soon include services amongst prohibited trade activity. Ireland is the only EU country seeking to pass legislation sanctioning trade with businesses located in Palestinian land that is under the military control of Israel since its declaration of independence in 1967 – otherwise known as the Occupied Territories. These territories include the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights in southwest Syria. Israeli settlements in the territories are illegal under international law, as laid out in Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court which stipulates that the transfer by a state of its own citizens into the land of another territory is illegal. This has been happening in the Occupied Palestinian Territories – particularly in the West Bank – for decades. A map of modern Israel showing the Occupied Territories of Palestine (marked by grey and white stripes) United Nations United Nations 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, and formally known as the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, 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. Advertisement New homes being constructed in the West Bank After the Israeli government approved the expansion of Jewish settlements. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo However, services such as tourism and IT are as of yet excluded in the latest draft of the legislation. An estimated 700,000 Israeli settlers currently live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which were seized by Israel in during the Six Day War in 1967. At present, Ireland is Israel's second largest trading partner after the US, purchasing €2.9 billion of its total exports, according to data from the Central Statistics Office. What will be included in the Bill? In its current form, the Bill only applies to goods imported from the Occupied Territories. The broad outline published by the Tánaiste yesterday breaks down the proposed terminology. Goods – materials and products, animate or inanimate. Material – indicates ingredients or component parts used to manufacture a good. Product – the good being manufactured, even if intended for use in a later manufacturing process. Importation - the act of bringing goods into the State from outside of the State (as per the Customs Act 2015). Israeli settlement - a city, village or industrial zone located in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Parties found to be importing goods that are subject to prohibition under the Bill will be subject to punishment as outlined in Section 14(1) of the Customs Act. Will services be included? The Government has faced backlash for not including services in its recent outline of banned imports, 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 in an enhanced version of the Bill due to go before an Oireachtas committee for examination. 'Let's not forget one thing before we get into the detail of the legislation, there isn't another country in the European Union that you can visit today and ask a government minister about their Bill to ban trade and the detail of it, because they don't have one,' Harris said. He is also understood to be looking for a second opinion from the Attorney General on the legalities surrounding the inclusion of services before passing it through to the pre-legislative stage. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Frances Black rules herself out of the presidential race
Senator Frances Black has ruled herself out of the running to become the country's next president. The Independent politician was flagged as a potential candidate for Áras an Uachtaráin for an alliance of left-leaning parties late last year. Ms Black previously said that she had been approached to enter discussions about the prospect of contesting November's election. Senator Frances Black. Pic: Sasko Lazarov/ However, in an interview earlier this week, she stated that she had received no official offers, leading her to conclude that she would not run. The former singer told The Last Word with Matt Cooper on Today FM: 'I'm ruling myself out of the presidency for sure. I had conversations with people at the start of the year, around this, around the smaller opposition parties, and I haven't heard anything.' The Dublin-based senator described the presidential election campaign as a 'bloodbath', adding: 'I've said it before, you'd want to be a very brave person to go into the presidential election.' Ms Black also cited her work on the Occupied Territories Bill, stating: 'I have too much work to do, particularly on this Bill.
The Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Tánaiste to include services from Israeli settlements in trade ban
TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has vowed to include the provision of services to legislation that will ban imports from Israeli settlements if it stands up to legislative scrutiny. Harris also said he wants to put pressure on the other 26 European countries to consider banning trade with occupied Palestinian territories, and called on opposition parties to contact their counterparts in the bloc. He said Ireland is the only country to publish legislation to ban imports from the occupied Palestinian territories, saying it is 'pretty lonely out there', adding it would be 'a hell of a lot better' if Europe moved together on it. The legislation was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday morning. Harris brought forward the renamed Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025. The Government opted for fresh legislation instead of progressing the Occupied Territories Bill, first tabled in 2018. Advertisement It will now go before an Oireachtas committee for examination. The Tánaiste said that every Government TD will be expected to back the legislation as it forms part of the Programme for Government. 'Let's not forget one thing before we get into the detail of the legislation, there isn't another country in the European Union that you can visit today and ask a government minister about their Bill to ban trade and the detail of it, because they don't have one,' he added. 'We're the first country in the European Union to take this step. We're the first country in the European Union say, yes, trade is a European competency, and it'll be a hell of a lot better if Europe moves together, and a hell of a lot more impactful. 'But in the absence of Europe moving together, we're going to go ahead with our own domestic legislation. 'I would really ask the opposition here not to do this lazy politicking of you know, opposition good, government bad. Everybody in this country is sickened to the pit of their stomach with the genocide they see in Gaza. 'They don't care, the people of Ireland, who they vote for in an election in relation to this, they just know in their gut what is happening, particularly children in Gaza, is genocide is wrong, and everyone has to do everything they want. 'I have no policy difference, zero policy difference with the opposition in relation to the inclusion of services, but we do have a Constitution, we are members of the European Union, and I'm not in the business of putting together legislation that would fall at the first legal hurdle. Related Reads Opinion: We don't need a new Occupied Territories Bill – improve this one and pass it quickly Occupied Territories Bill to be replaced by new legislation, Martin confirms 'I presume everybody here wants to pass a law that is impactful, a law that is in compliance with the laws of our land.' Earlier this week, a number of countries, including Ireland, asked the European Commission to examine how goods produced in illegal Jewish settlements 'can be brought into line with international law'. Harris said he does not believe the European Union has made itself compliant with the ICJ advisory opinion. 'We will do our own legislation, (I am) open to services, absolutely open to working constructively with the opposition, but also keep the pressure on at the European level,' he added. 'What I hope the opposition will be doing today, every opposition leader should be picking up the telephone, and they should be ringing their counterparts in European countries and saying, 'hey, have you seen here in Ireland we're bringing forward a domestic legislation, would you think about doing it yourself? 'Because so far, it's pretty lonely out there. There's not one other country in Europe that has published any legislation to ban trade, and I'd really appreciate the opposition's help with their counterparts in the 26 other European states.'
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Exclusion of services from OTB 'worrying'
Independent Senator Frances Black has said it is "worrying" that services are not included in the draft Occupied Territories Bill and it is "absolutely crucial" that they should be. The draft of the 'Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025' was published today by Tánaiste Simon Harris. It makes no reference to services being subject to a similar goods ban and has been criticised in the Dáil by opposition parties including Sinn Féin, Labour and the Social Democrats. The Tánaiste insists he is willing to consider the inclusion of services in the bill and has sought the Attorney General's advice on this matter. Independent Senator Frances Black has been closely associated with the bill since first tabling proposed legislation in 2018, and has continued to campaign on the subject and has held meetings with Mr Harris on the Government bill. Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Senator Black said Simon Harris had committed to her and in public that the Government is "willing to include services in the final bill if we can get the legal detail right". She said she was "100% certain" that services will end up in the final bill "if we get this detail" right and she "fully intends on holding him to that promise". "Last year, the International Court of very clearly that the Israeli settlements are illegal, and that all countries must end trade with all of them - and all trade, full stop. "That means both physical goods, like dates and oranges, but also services like tech and IT. "That is the standard that the Government needs to meet," Senator Black said. Meanwhile, Social Democrats Senator Patricia Stephenson said the Government has "yet to provide a credible reason for omitting services from the bill". Ms Stephenson said the Tánaiste "continues to cite vague legal reasons for omitting a services ban" and added that her party has received legal advice saying that the inclusion of services is not only legal but also a "duty to do so in accordance with the ruling from the International Court of Justice". "The vast majority of Ireland's trade with the occupied territories is in the form of services - legislating for goods alone is not a sufficient sanction of the Israeli government's barbaric actions. "We need to see this Bill enacted in the form put forward by Senator Francis Black as a matter of urgency, even if this means working through the summer to do so," Ms Stephenson said. Speaking upon the publication of the general scheme of the bill, the Tánaiste said he has made it clear that the Government will use "all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground" in Gaza. "Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-State solution. "This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. "Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law. "I have been absolutely clear that we have yet to see an adequate response at EU level to the July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, notably as regards trade with Israeli settlements," Mr Harris said in a statement.
