THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS to continue to advance with its legislation to ban the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements.

This comes after 16 members of the US congress asked that Ireland be added to a list of countries boycotting Israel if the bill is passed.

This group have signed a letter calling for the Bill, which seeks to ban the trade of goods between Ireland and Israeli settlements, to be investigated.

Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, for New York, is leading the group of politicians.

The letter references the US anti-boycott laws, which seek to oppose boycotts against America and its allies. 

Should the US find the Irish ban constitutes a ‘foreign boycott’, America may take action to counteract the ban and include Ireland on a purported ‘boycott list’, potentially suspending future US business deals in Dublin and elsewhere.

The Irish government has been aware for a number of years that the anti-boycott movement in the US, made up of a number of American politicians, would take issue with the Occupied Territories Bill.

Tánaiste Simon Harris said despite the opposition, Ireland “intends” to continue to pass the draft laws.

It comes amid global criticism of Israel after its security cabinet approved a plan to take over Gaza City.

Israel’s air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory towards famine.

Ireland’s coalition of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and a group of independents committed to passing a ban on goods from the occupied Palestinian territories in its programme for government completed in January.

A cross-party committee recommended that the government pass the bill and the prohibition of imports from the Palestinian Occupied Territories should be extended to include trade in services.

Harris said Ireland was not alone in wanting to ban trade with the occupied Palestinian territories.

“People in Ireland, people in Europe and people right across the world feel extraordinarily strongly about the genocidal activity that we’re seeing in Gaza, about the starving children and we will use all tools at our disposal,” he told reporters today.

“It’s not a surprise that some seek to distort or misrepresent our proposed actions.

“Remember, Ireland isn’t alone in relation to this; this week we also saw Slovenia take action in relation to trade from the occupied territories, I expect Belgium are likely to do the same and we intend to advance with our legislation.

“Of course we’ll continue to engage and explain and never allow our position to be misrepresented.”