Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-15
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Frances Black (IND), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I move amendment No. 6:
In page 5, line 2, to delete “originating” and substitute “produced in whole or in part”.
This amendment is designed to ensure that any goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements, even in part, are captured by the ban. We have seen similar language to capture goods wholly or partially obtained or produced in the settlements in the draft legislation from the Dutch and Belgian Governments so we would not be alone in this. It is there in the texts they have published, just as the Irish Government has published this Bill. On Dáil Committee Stage, the Government responded that there are existing EU customs rules to determine the economic nationality of certain goods, for example, where a product is produced across two or more jurisdictions.
Article 60.2 of the European Union customs code states:
Goods the production of which involves more than one country or territory shall be deemed to originate in the country or territory where they underwent their last, substantial, economically-justified processing or working, in an undertaking equipped for that purpose, resulting in the manufacture of a new product or representing an important stage of manufacture.
This means that goods that are produced to a significant extent in the illegal Israeli settlements but then undergo final substantial economically justified processing in Israel itself will fall outside the ban implemented by this Bill. Such goods, regardless of whether they are deemed to originate under EU customs rules, clearly assist in the maintenance of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine which is what the ICJ said must end. In paragraph 278 of its advisory opinion, the ICJ held that states must "prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory". This is the obligation that the Government says it is seeking to meet. So, the confinement of the ban in the Bill in this way is therefore also clearly contrary to the obligations identified in the 2024 advisory opinion, as well as the stated purpose of the Bill. To comply with our obligations under international law, any goods coming even partly from the settlements should be banned.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:16+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-15