Ireland passes Bill banning goods from Israeli settlements

DUBLIN, July 8 — Ireland’s parliament yesterday approved legislation banning imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, as Dublin presses ahead with one of Europe’s most far-reaching trade measures over Israel’s occupation.

The Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) bill prohibits the import of goods from “certain Israeli settlements”.

Those include residential, agricultural and business interests that lie outside Israel’s internationally recognised borders.

While Ireland was the first EU country to propose such a ban, Spain already implemented a package of import restrictions last October.

The centre-right coalition government which drafted the legislation has said its wording was guided by an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024.

The ICJ said Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip was illegal under international law.

Ireland has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in the wake of the deadly October 2023 Hamas militant attack on Israel. It recognised a Palestinian state in 2024.

Soon after, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the closure of its Dublin embassy, blaming Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies”.

Last month Dublin banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, slamming their behaviour towards pro-Palestinian activists.

Dublin has also long pushed for a review of the European Union’s EU-Israel Association Agreement, a cooperation deal signed in 1995 that forms the basis for trade ties with Israel.

The bloc said last month it would examine options to restrict trade with Israeli settlements.

But there remains no consensus among the bloc’s member states to take further steps against Israel.

Ireland’s import ban would be symbolic and of minimal economic impact, as trade volumes with the territories — limited to goods such as fruit, vegetables and timber — were worth less than one million euros ($1.1 million) between 2020 and 2024.

Opposition politicians in Dublin criticised the bill - which moves to the upper house for final approval - for not going far enough by leaving out trade in services.

The government has argued that a ban on the trade of services is more complex than goods and the bill needs to be legally watertight before it is enacted. — AFP