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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Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I again commend Senator Black, who has been campaigning on this issue for a very long time. It is disappointing that we are here this evening without services included despite the very detailed recommendations of the Oireachtas joint committee, the views of many legal experts and the clear legal opinion of the ICJ from July 2024. In that decision, if we recall, the ICJ held that all states were under an obligation "to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings ... and to take steps to prevent trade or investment relations" with the settlements. That is a clear statement. The court was clear that "trade" included goods and services, and even the Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's legal experts, who gave testimony at the Oireachtas committee, accepted that point.
I am surprised that the Government is presenting us with a Bill that excludes services. The Government used to tell us that it was for legal reasons. The argument continuously trotted out was that it was on the basis of the Attorney General's advice and that was despite the fact that the Attorney General's advice from 2024 made it very clear that there was no distinction made between goods and services. Indeed, when we look at the sanctions regime that Ireland signed up to in respect of Russia, it sanctions trade in both goods and services with Russia without any difficulty. If we look at the whole body of European law, there is a detailed body of case law and legislation specifically on the question of services.
The issue is not a legal one but a political one. In fairness, it has become even clearer from the remarks made by the Government in recent days that fear of the Trump Administration is driving the decision, with illogical arguments that the Trump Administration might just tolerate a Bill that bans goods but if were to bring forward a Bill that covered goods and services, it would somehow be a step too far. The ongoing genocide in Gaza, the annexation of the Palestinians in the West Bank and the occupied territories, and the human rights abuses now extending into southern Lebanon, show that Israel is a rogue state under the Netanyahu regime. A strong occupied territories Bill could resonate across Europe, particularly during our EU Presidency. Instead, we have a half-hearted attempt at holding Israel to account and history will not judge Europe kindly for our collective inaction on Gaza, the ongoing destruction of Palestine and the two state-solution.

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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