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LAST UPDATE | 27 May
TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has no objections to the politicians in the Dáil and Seanad sitting through the summer to get the government’s Occupied Territories Bill passed.
Cabinet today approved the drafting of the government’s bill, which will ban goods from the illegal settlements in Palestine.
Social Democrats’ senator Patricia Stephenson said that there is “always a fear about the bill being further delayed”.
“We have a recess next week, we have a recess over the summer. I think the Social Democrats are very happy to come in next week, come in during the summer [to progress the bill],” Stephenson said.
“It’s going to take a lot of time and effort to get it done, and I really think that we need to keep it in the hours to get that done urgently,” she added.
Asked today if Harris is open to such a proposition, a spokesperson for the Tánaiste said Harris “doesn’t have any issue if the Dáil wants to sit through the summer to progress this through the pre-legislative scrutiny stage”.
He said it is the intention of the Tánaiste that the general scheme of the bill will go before committee in June.
“Then, obviously, it’s a matter for the committee to order its businesses as the committee sees fit,” he said, stating that it is for the committee members to decide how long the pre-legislative scrutiny will take.
Asked if the committee were to recommend summer sittings to get the legislation through all stages, the spokesperson said:
“I don’t think the Tánaiste would have an objection to that if that’s what the committee were to decide.”
The government has been criticised by opposition parties for not including the provision of services in a bill that bans imports from illegal Israel settlements in the Occupied Palestinian territories.
Ministers this morning were briefed by Tánaiste and trade minister Simon Harris on the Occupied Territories Bill, which currently only bans goods from the illegal settlements.
An initial version of the bill proposed by independent senator Frances Black in 2018 sought an outright ban on all trade with any illegal occupied territories.
While Harris is open to discussion to include services when the bill is debated at committee stage, Labour TD Duncan Smith today said he does not believe that the law will be changed before it is enacted.
“I think [Simon Harris] is willing to have a conversation. Whether he is willing to move on foot of that conversation is another thing,” Smith said. “I imagine that myself and a lot of others would like to put amendments down in relation to services.”
Officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been revising the bill, making substantial amendments to the original text in order to bring it in line with the constitution and reduce the risk of a clash with EU law.
As a result, the bill is expected to only cover goods and not services, such as products from online tech companies. The exclusion has been met with staunch criticism by members of the opposition today.
Speaking today, author of the original bill Black said that the decision to approval the bill today is a “really important and welcome step, but our work is not done yet”.
She said the length of time for the bill to be progressed is “horrible” and that the onus is now on the government to “act with the urgency this moment demands.”
“The key thing however is getting the detail right,” Black said. “We need to see a full ban on all trade with the illegal Israeli settlements, which includes both physical goods like fruit and veg, but also intangible services like tech and IT.
“That is the standard set in the original Occupied Territories Bill which I tabled, and it’s what the International Court of Justice has said is required.”
Labour’s Smith, who is his party’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said that his staff are being legally advised on how to word such amendments.
He has welcomed the fact that the bill came before cabinet this morning, but said he is “utterly angry” that it has taken so long to progress. Smith added that Labour TD will be willing to sit for additional Dáil days to ensure the bill’s future.
Harris reportedly cited Israel’s humanitarian blockade and renewed bombardment of Gaza when he brought the bill to Cabinet today. He told his ministerial colleagues that there is growing support within the EU to place a greater pressure on Israel.
Although Ireland’s trade with businesses operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in small, the proposed legislation is seen as a form of pressure on Israel that could help end the war in the Middle East.
Last week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said, following the announcement that member states had voted to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement in light of the renewed bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza, that the deal should be suspended.
He said this would be “a sign that there can be no business as usual”.
Martin also said there is “no justification in any shape or form” for Israel’s actions in Gaza, which are causing immense death and destruction to an entire population.
Inflicting hunger on a civilian population “clearly constitutes a war crime”, he said.
Harris also updated Cabinet on the latest trade developments after a threatened 50% tariff on the EU was paused by US President Donald Trump yesterday until 9 July.
He will outline how the EU has shared ideas for an “EU-US Agreement on Reciprocal Mutually Beneficial Trade” with the US. It includes options to reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers, promoting economic security and strategic purchase plans.
The Tánaiste asked Cabinet to approve the drafting of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025 which will allow for the ratification of the EU-Canada trade deal, known as CETA.
The trade deal has been mired in controversy, with 10 EU member states declining to ratify it. The Irish Supreme Court has also ruled that ratification of CETA would be unconstitutional in the absence of a change to Irish domestic legislation.
The ruling stated that a referendum could be avoided on the matter if legislation were introduced, but the court said that was a matter for the government.
Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online.
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