Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-08 ============================================================ Anne Rabbitte (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber this afternoon. I am speaking on behalf of Senator O'Loughlin, who is at a meeting of the foreign affairs committee. One does not need to be a member of that committee to have empathy and compassion on this issue. I really appreciate that, while the Minister's statement was very detailed, it included her sharing her experience of having travelled to the region and seeing for herself what we see on our televisions every night. It is absolutely heartbreaking. I thank her, as well as the entire Cabinet, including the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, for the work she and her officials did in bringing this Bill before us. Many believed this debate would not happen. Fianna Fáil welcomes and supports the Bill. Under our leadership, Ireland has been one of the most prominent voices in the world in the condemnation of violence in the Middle East, support for relief efforts and advocacy for a two-state solution. It would be wrong of me not to acknowledge the role that Senator Black has played in this also. We led the way by recognising the State of Palestine in May 2024. The late Brian Lenihan Snr. was the first foreign minister in Europe to recognise the Palestinian right to a homeland. We firmly believe that there can be no peace in the Middle East until the Israeli and Palestinian people align in enjoying the same rights of self-determination, statehood, peace, security and dignity. Before the 2024 general election, my party leader signalled that he would legislate on the occupied Palestinian territories. Our position, and that of the EU, is clear. Settlements are illegal under international law and they undermine the realisation of the two-state solution. We are now progressing the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill and will seek to enact it by the summer recess. Ireland has continually advocated for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. We have consistently sought to progress implementation of the two-state solution. It is clear from the actions of the Israeli Government both in Gaza and the West Bank that it has no intention of reaching a peaceful resolution to conflict or ending the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. That is why we are progressing this Bill. The Government's position, and that of the EU, is clear that settlements are illegal under international law and they undermine the realisation of the two-state solution. While Ireland is moving ahead at national level, the Government remains clear that collective action at EU level is the strongest and most effective route. Ireland is actively pursuing that collective approach at the EU. We have called for the suspension of the trade element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and, together with other member states, we are pressing for the Commission to put forward a proposal for an EU-level ban on trade with Israeli settlements, for decision at the Foreign Affairs Council next week, which the Minister has said she will attend. Ireland welcomed political agreement at the May Foreign Affairs Council on a package of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers and entities, as well as leading Hamas figures, under the EU global human rights sanctions regime. However, further action is required. At both the May Foreign Affairs Council and the May Foreign Affairs Council in its Trade configuration, Ireland requested that the European Commission bring forward proposals for a prohibition on trade with settlements on the basis of the EU common commercial policy. The Government also reiterated Ireland's long-standing position that the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended or, at a minimum, the trade elements should be suspended. On 20 May, the Taoiseach wrote to the President of the European Council, Mr. Costa, reiterating Ireland's position on EU trade with Israel and requesting an urgent discussion on these issues among EU leaders at the next meeting of the European Council on 18 and 19 June. A number of EU member states have enacted or are progressing similar measures relating to goods originating in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium, with Norway indicating its consideration of similar restrictions. The extent of the work the Minister has done since coming to office, working with other EU member states, is absolutely clear. This time last year, there were a handful of countries stating an intention to act; the number is now expanding considerably, which is really welcome. As part of our EU Presidency, it will be very welcome to see this agenda progressed. I will not go through the different sections of the Bill, which the Minister has already done. I look forward to contributing on Committee Stage next week, as does Senator O'Loughlin. I thank the Minister for her time this afternoon. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-08/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:10+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-07-08