Ireland Plans Mid-July Goods Ban on Israeli Settlements in the Occupied West Bank

Ireland plans to enact legislation by mid-July to restrict trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Foreign Minister Helen McEntee telling reporters that the measure is expected to apply only to goods.

“Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said on Tuesday that her country is seeking to enact a law to curb the trade in settlement goods in the West Bank under Israeli occupation by mid-July, amid opposition from Israel, American lawmakers, and business groups to the move”

Al-Jazeera Net

The proposed ban is framed against the backdrop of Ireland being among the strongest European critics of Israel’s war on Gaza, after it first pledged in October 2024 to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements.

Al-Jazeera Net

Ireland’s Central Statistics Office said the narrower goods-only ban would affect only a small number of imports from Israeli-occupied territories, including fruit, with an annual value of about €200,000, or $234,660.

The bill’s path has faced opposition from Israel, some US lawmakers, and business groups, and Prime Minister Micheal Martin confirmed last week that extending the measure to services was neither implementable nor viable.

McEntee said she hoped Ireland could pass the law alongside Belgium, the Netherlands and possibly Slovenia, while Spain is so far the only European Union member state to have already implemented comparable restrictions.

France and Sweden pushed the EU toward trade curbs on Israeli settlements, with French Trade Minister Nicolas Forissier telling Euronews that placing limits on merchandise from Israeli settlements is "simply a matter of common sense."

Forissier said the EU cannot accept imports of goods manufactured in territories that are illegally occupied according to international law, and he pointed to the 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice and multiple UN resolutions.

AlterPresse

Euronews reported that Kaja Kallas is set to present a list of ten measures in Brussels, including the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the blocking of imports from the settlements, and the halt of political dialogue with Tel Aviv.

Several European diplomats told Euronews there was little appetite among member states for concrete action against Tel Aviv, with Germany, Italy, Hungary, and the Czech Republic refusing any sanctions as long as the humanitarian situation improves.

Euronews also said Ireland and Spain are pushing for immediate measures, noting that Dublin has already unilaterally banned imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland urged the European Union to discuss and consider suspending the EU-Israel Partnership Agreement, with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares saying, "Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland have asked for discussion and consideration of suspending the EU-Israel Partnership Agreement today."

“Following a two-day visit during which she met the President of Ireland and the Irish Prime Minister, as well as other senior officials, Amnesty International's Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said: “While the EU has betrayed its principles with its shameful decision not to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, we commend Ireland for its bold initiatives aimed at putting an end to the genocide carried out by Israel against the Palestinian population in Gaza”

Amnesty International

The three governments said in a joint letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that Israel was violating human rights and international law, and they warned that the European Union can no longer remain on the sidelines as the situation deteriorates in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Lebanon.

Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard urged the Irish government to advance the Occupied Territories Bill, saying, "we commend Ireland for its bold initiatives aimed at putting an end to the genocide carried out by Israel against the Palestinian population in Gaza."

Callamard also urged the bill be strengthened to include the prohibition of all imports and exports of goods and services to and from Israeli colonies, and she said Ireland must "remain firm in its convictions and in its commitment to justice."

Euronews reported that Kallas’s document includes options such as blocking imports from Israeli settlements and suspending visa-free travel for Israeli nationals, while the same reporting described deep divisions among member states over whether to act immediately.