Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-08
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Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. The Government's position is unbelievably disappointing and demoralising for people who believe in politics and supporting the rule of international law. As Senator Conway said, it is gesture politics. It is disappointing that the Government is, in effect, gutting what could have been good legislation. It was never going to be a magic wand but it gave Ireland the opportunity to lead and to say to Israel that we saw it and we would not accept the genocide, apartheid and other horrors it was committing, including the slaughter of more than 20,000 children. It was a chance to say to Israel that its actions were not acceptable.
Instead of doing that, the Government has gutted Senator Black's Bill and made it meaningless in effect. Nobody will be happy with this legislation, including people who support international law.
A ban on trade in goods alone does not meet our obligations under international law, and the Government has recognised this, yet it is not willing to go further and seek to ensure that we meet our obligations under international law. Recently, the Minister said very clearly in committee that this would go towards compliance. It will go towards compliance but we have an opportunity to actually comply with international law. What is the reason for not doing so? Why are we waiting so long? The Government has been pushing back against the occupied territories Bill for almost ten years now. It has failed to hold Israel to account for ten years.
I heard Senator Ahearn give a list of measures taken in support of Palestine and Palestinians. Each one of those was positive and good, but recognising the State of Palestine did not actually hold Israel to account. Israel did not like it, but it did not mean that it faced any consequences. It is like when Ireland allocates funding for rebuilding or building schools in the West Bank or Gaza. That is positive but the trouble is that Israel knocks them a week later and Ireland does not hold it to account. It is absolutely demoralising.
If Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had any intention of holding Israel to account for its breaches of international law, for its unspeakable crimes going back decades, for its genocide, occupation and slaughter, the occupied territories Bill would have been made law years ago. I remember, foolish me, that I actually believed before the last election that the Government was genuinely going to introduce the occupied territories Bill. I believed there was a real possibility. How foolish was I, and how foolish were the people who voted for and supported Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the belief that they would do that? Of course, we should have known better, because within months it became clear that the Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, had no intention of passing the occupied territories Bill as introduced by Senator Black and her colleagues in the Seanad.
Instead, the Government has subjected the Irish people to bizarre doublespeak in which it has tried to shut down the Bill at every turn while at the same time pretending to be committed to it. What we have been presented with here today is a gutted, watered-down version. It is a fraudulent copy of Senator Black's occupied territories Bill. The decision to exclude services from what the Government's Bill proposes to sanction is a complete disgrace. Services account for the vast majority of trade between Ireland and the occupied Palestinian territories, and ignoring that fact for the sake of the Government's Bill is blatant hypocrisy.
The legal reasons for excluding services are extremely weak, and they seem to hinge on the word of the Attorney General. It is important to remember that the Attorney General is a political appointee. He is not a judge and his opinion can change. There are countless other legal opinions suggesting the Government does not have to go down this road.
The Government has said that it is legally impossible to include a ban on services, meaning it cannot even try. Why does it not try? Why does it not let somebody take a challenge in the courts and say they are complying with international law and that if the Government feels differently, it should be fought out in the courts? I believe Ireland would win and the Government would have some credibility. Sadly, that is not the way of the current Government.
The Government talks about it being legally impossible to pass the occupied territories Bill, but that did not stop Spain from introducing restrictions on services last year. Spain was able to introduce a ban on services. The Irish Government goes on about how it is leading the way and looking for consensus, yet it was afraid to copy and follow the example of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Spanish Government. It could have built an alliance. That could have created momentum within the EU to show it is possible to introduce a proper occupied territories Bill.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael should be upfront and say that their decision to exclude services was a deliberate political decision and not a legal necessity. Let us be honest about it: this is not a legal position because, as I said, there are many legal counterarguments. It is a political decision. The Government has been very clear that successive American Governments, Democrats and Republicans alike, have put pressure on the Irish Government to stop this legislation. It has been putting significant pressure on the Irish Government to put its morals to one side and give up any attempt to stand up against Israel. This Bill, which is now weak because of what the Irish Government has done to it, is an example of it caving in to American pressure while trying to save face with the Irish public. The only reason the Government is introducing this watered-down, gutted version of the occupied territories Bill is the Irish people. They recognise that the Irish Government is not willing to confront and hold Israel to account. In reality, this Bill will fail to appease the radical Zionists in America, and it will not appease those in this country and abroad who care about human rights.
Ireland has the opportunity to show leadership on the global stage by leading by example and taking a stand against Israel's crimes. The international community, the US, the EU and much of the Middle East are happy to sit idly by while Israel bombs and murders without restraint. Tens of thousands have been killed in Israel's genocide in Gaza. Over 25,000 children have been slaughtered by Israel. Hundreds of thousands more have been subjected to the most inhumane conditions, deprived of basic levels of food, water and shelter, and that continues. The genocide might not be at the chaotic level it was at previously, but there is still genocide happening in Gaza. That makes it even more important that measures be taken to ensure Israel is held to account.
The world's powers are failing in their collective duty to stand up for the principles of international law and human rights that were supposed to underpin the modern era. We hear the Government talking about international law and building towards compliance, and saying it has been great to the Palestinians, but it is not great at holding Israel to account. With this flimsy piece of legislation, the Irish Government is also failing in its duty. We could and should be leading the way.
As Senator Conway said, this is gesture politics at its best.

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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