The Irish parliament on Tuesday approved legislation to prohibit the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Named the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, the draft legislation aims to restrict goods originating from “certain Israeli settlements” that lie outside of Israel’s internationally recognised borders.
The proposed law states that it is designed to abide by Ireland’s “international legal obligation, as identified by the International Court of Justice [ICJ] in its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024”.
That refers to the ICJ finding upheld by the UN General Assembly, which described Israel’s rule of Palestinian territory outside of the 1967 borders as “unlawful” and obligated all nations to end complicity with the illegal occupation.
In keeping with this advice, the Irish government coalition endorsing the bill intends to “take steps to prevent trade relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
Ireland passes bill banning goods from Israel-occupied settlements in West Bank and Jerusalem
