Ireland to Ban Imports From Israeli Settlements

The Irish parliament approved legislation on Tuesday to ban the import of Israeli goods from the occupied Palestinian territories.

If enacted, Irish businesses will no longer be able to legally import goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with custom officers given powers to stop and seize restricted goods at the border. However, businesses will still be able to import goods produced within Israel’s internationally recognised borders.

The Israeli settlements bill will now move from the Dáil (lower house) to the Seanad (upper house) for debate next week, where it is expected to be formally approved.

Ireland has long been a critic of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, and was among the first countries to call for a trade ban.

The new bill intended to ensure the country complies with a July 2024 advisory issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which said nation states had an “obligation … to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and to “take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel”.

However, critics of the bill say it does not go far enough. People Before Profit–Solidarity politician Paul Murphy accused the centre-right coalition government of doing everything to “absolutely gut” the legislation. Speaking during the debate, he said: “The occupied territories bill, which everyone understood to mean goods and services, is now being gutted to remove the majority of trade. We know that on average, 70% of trade is in services rather than goods and that 70% is now being removed.”

As it stands, the bill would have limited material impact, with trading between Ireland and the territories worth less than 1m euros between 2020 and 2024.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is expected to table its own proposals for restricted trade with Israeli settlements, ahead of a gathering of EU foreign ministers on Monday. Diplomats told Euronews that the move comes in response to pressure from member-states for a bloc-wide response.