EU's splintered stance on Gaza crisis a ‘huge stain' on bloc, says Taoiseach
The European Union's inability to come to a unified position on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a 'huge stain' on the bloc, the Taoiseach has said.
Speaking in Brussels on Wednesday,
Micheál Martin
said there has to be 'consequences' for Israel's human rights violations during its 20-month bombardment and invasion of Gaza.
'Europe needs to speak with a very strong voice, to end this blockade and get vital humanitarian aid into the population of Gaza, otherwise Europe will not have credibility,' he said.
The Fianna Fáil leader was speaking ahead of an EU summit on Thursday where leaders will consider a report by the bloc's diplomatic service from last week that said Israel had breached its human rights obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the EU. Israel's foreign ministry has rejected the report as a 'moral and methodological failure'.
READ MORE
Meanwhile, the Irish Government has published draft legislation to prohibit the sale in Ireland of Israeli goods produced in the
occupied Palestinian territories
.
It makes no reference to services being subject to a similar ban.
The draft of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025 was published on Wednesday by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris.
The draft will now be sent for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart.
The main section of the Bill provides that the importation of goods originating in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will be prohibited in Ireland.
The goods will be deemed as goods subject to prohibition, or banned from importation, and those importing them may be charged with an offence under the Customs Act 2015.
The draft Bill also sets out that the Minister for Foreign Affairs will have the powers to outline what territories are covered by the Act.
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'Groundbreaking' case over Airbnb lettings in West Bank will set precedent for Irish companies, says Senator
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The Minister will have the power to prescribe the postal codes of Israeli settlements located in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
The committee is expected to begin its work on the draft legislation immediately. Mr Lahart has said he will seek extra sitting sessions to allow it to complete pre-legislative scrutiny before the summer recess.
In an accompanying letter to the committee, Mr Harris said the scheme delivers on Government commitments but notes the limitations under EU law.
'The scheme has been prepared having regard to the exclusive competence of the European Union in the field of external trade and the very limited basis on which an EU member state may adopt measures in that field.'
The issue that will be most contentious during the foreign affairs committee's deliberations about the Bill will be whether or not services should be included. For example, there is a substantial holiday-let sector in the settlements which would not be captured in the current draft Bill.
On Tuesday, Mr Harris's spokesman said the legal advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs is that under EU law would not allow services to be included.
However, Mr Harris has now sought an opinion from Attorney General Rossa Fanning on whether, under EU law, it would be permissible for any of the EU states to do that.
The Government has said it has no objection to services being included, but noted the inclusion of services might make the legislation run contrary to EU law.
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Occupied Territories Bill: what's in it, how it has changed and what the implications might be
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Senator Frances Black drafted the original Bill in 2018 and has campaigned for it to become law since then. She said on Wednesday she was confident the committee will have completed its work before the summer recess, allowing for the full Bill to be published in early autumn.
Senator Frances Black drafted the original occupied Palestinian territories Bill in 2018 and has campaigned for it to become law since then. Photograph: Garry Walsh/Trócaire
Separately, Ms Black has been mentioned as a possible candidate in the presidential election.
She said she was now 99 per cent sure she would not be a candidate, and said no party, or person, had approached her with a view to asking her to run.
'I am still open to that conversation but I am at this point so preoccupied with the occupied territories Bill that I do not have time to think about other issues,' she said.
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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 26th: On Israel's relationship with Ireland, Donald Trump and food labels
Sir, – Recent debate within Ireland regarding the Middle East has been reductive and almost exclusively unipolar, led by Tánaiste Simon Harris, whose rhetoric has at times been ugly. Indeed the entire political establishment, along with mainstream social media, backed up by the @X brigade and the unions, have contributed to the toxic, hostile environment in Ireland towards Israel. It is impossible to know exactly to what extent this mirrors public opinion. While there are many critical voices in Europe, some justified for sure, about aspects of Israel's war against Hamas, Hizbullah and now their paymaster, Iran itself, in no other European country has this been as openly and aggressively venomous towards the Jewish state as in Ireland. This antagonism resulted in the withdrawal of the Israeli embassy from Ireland. READ MORE Ireland has taken this path while at the same time fetishising over Palestine and Iran, the latter being the West's largest terror threat. Most countries – some silently – are cheering Israel for having the guts to dismantle the nuclear threat. The war will eventually end. The deep freeze between Ireland and Israel might never do so. Does this matter? Israel has one of the most sophisticated global industrial, technological and scientific reach of any country. The compound fracture with Israel may damage not just the Irish economy but also, for example, the welfare of patients in hospital beds, deprived of the latest medical advances. Maybe Ireland will be judged as the champion of the oppressed, a success story hailed by the more radical pro-Palestinian and pro-Iranian movement; but if so, what are the long-term implications? Will its long-held reputation as a country of a céad mile fáilte for all visitors regardless of race, religion or nationality be forever tarnished? – Yours, etc, Dr ED ABRAHAMSON, Cornwall, England. Sir, – Watching desperate men, women and children in Gaza scrambling with their containers towards food relief trucks daily on our television screens is very distressing. Then you hear many of these desperate people have been shot at by the Israeli army. When asked why, the army's comment is always: 'We are looking into it.' As yet I still have to hear the results of their investigations. – Yours, etc, EILEEN BANNAN, Letterkenny, Co Donegal . Sir, – Referring to Israel's breaches of the obligation to respect human rights enshrined in Article 2 of its free trade agreement with the European Union, Kajia Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, is apparently prepared to consider 'a proposal' to restrict trade between EU states and 'violent settlers' in occupied Palestine. However, she stresses that the idea is not to 'punish' Israel, but pressure it to 'change course' (' Spain's foreign minister renews call for EU to suspend Israel trade deal ,' June 24th). Two anomalies strike me here. Firstly, under the Fourth Geneva Convention, all settlers in occupied Palestine are illegal, and not just violent ones. When the trade agreement with Israel was signed in 1995, Israel had already built numerous illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and many of the settlers were violent – hence the agreement itself was arguably illegal from the start. Secondly, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, endorsed by the Irish Government, condemns 'applying double standards [to Israel] by requiring of it a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation'. Would any other state violating the terms of a trade agreement with the EU be told nicely that the idea is not to 'punish' it, but pressure it to 'change course'? If not, is this not a serious example of double standards? – Yours, etc, RAYMOND DEANE, Broadstone, Dublin 7. Trump and the ceasefire Sir, – Your correspondent, Keith Duggan, is to be commended for at least trying to report on US president Donald Trump's leadership style in an objective manner. He has broken with the anti-Trump consensus in the Irish media without becoming a Trump supporter. Referring to the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, he says: 'But the radical switch of fortunes suggested that Trump's uncanny instinct for whom to back, and when, had served him well again. 'The ceasefire declaration was arguably the most statesmanlike delivery of Trump's political life – he didn't feel the need to mention himself even once.' (' Israel-Iran ceasefire announcement shows Trump's uncanny ability to shape the narrative ,' June 24th). I believe Trump was wrong to authorise the US intervention in Israel's war on Iran while his efforts to end the aggression are to be welcomed. But whatever about that, reporting that pulls us back from simplistic group-think deserves support, especially in the context of current politics in the US. – Yours, etc, DAVID ALVEY, Daingean, Co Offaly. Sir, – Does the US president's use of the expletive legitimise it? It looked like a Father Jack moment to me. – Yours, etc, CORMAC MEEHAN, Bundoran, Co Donegal. Sir, –When recently referring to the actions of Israel and Iran, Donald Trump said that 'they don't know what the f**k they are doing'. Coming from him that is quite a statement. –Yours etc BRIAN CULLEN , Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. A beef over food labelling Sir, – Regarding Conor Pope's article on the farmers' campaign to stop plant-based producers from using terms like 'sausage' and 'burger' (' Farmers accuse vegan food makers of hijacking sausages ,' June 25th), the logic, it seems, is to save the public from the shock of discovering a vegan sausage contains – heaven forbid –no pig. If we're to pursue such linguistic purity, surely the dead animal industry should embrace radical honesty too. After all, 'pork' and 'beef' are just euphemisms that soften the reality of what's on our plates. Let's police food language with gusto and transparency for all – so everyone knows exactly what they're eating, whether it once oinked, mooed, or sprouted in a field. Imagine a burger packet simply declaring: 'Contains connective tissue mechanically extracted from the dead body of a slaughtered cow. Producing this burger generated about 9.7 kg of CO2 emissions – over 20 times more than a plant-based patty – and contributed to deforestation and climate change. Regular consumption of red and processed meat is also linked to higher risks of heart disease and cancer. Now that's labelling you can't misunderstand. – Yours, etc, LOUISA MOSS, Annamoe Road, Dublin 7. Sir, – My understanding is that sausages and other such food products were traditionally made with whatever was to hand and often what might otherwise have been unusable – a great diversity. They might include non-meat products such as oatmeal. The shape of the product – sausage, burger or whatever – was what defined the product. It therefore seems the real cynicism is for meat producers to seek to ban vegan and veggie products which use such labels. A pork sausage has pork in it, a veggie sausage has vegetable and presumably grain products, both with flavourings. There is no need to be silly about sausages. – Yours, etc, ROB FAIRMICHAEL, Ballynafeigh, Belfast. An egregious solution Sir, – Thank you to Cathy Dillon for her well-crafted piece in An Irishwoman's Diary (June 23d), and for helping me find the solution to 13 across in Simplex, with her use of the word 'egregious'. – Yours, etc, JOE CARROLL, Bellurgan Point, Dundalk. Putting the cart before the horse Sir, –The Taoiseach has brought a 10- year plan, costing multi millions, to Cabinet to develop the GPO and O'Connell Street. No modern city can properly function without key frontline workers such as gardaí, teachers, nurses, firefighters etc. Dublin rents are now among the highest in the world and are not affordable for these workers. The result is long, stressful and expensive commutes. These vital people are voting with their feet and are choosing to work anywhere but Dublin, with large numbers emigrating or leaving their chosen profession. What a complete waste of talent and money. Surely it is a case of putting the cart before the horse? Start with a viable solution to the accommodation crisis for key workers to live near their place of work. A 24/7 Garda presence on O'Connell Street and neighbouring streets is surely the first step to bringing O'Connell Street back to its former glory. – Yours, etc, PASCHAL TAGGART, Rathgar, Dublin 6. Sir, – The comments from the Dublin City Council project manager are frustrating but, sadly, no longer surprising ('College Green plaza redevelopment budget soars to €80 million,'June 24th). A 700 per cent increase in the budget for the long-promised College Green pedestrianisation, and completion now unlikely before 2030? It is hard to see this as anything other than a failure of basic project management, leadership and accountability. To make matters worse, 40 per cent of the current budget is being classified as 'contingency' – which reads less like prudent planning and more like an admission that those in charge have little to no confidence in their own financial planning. Thirteen-plus years to pedestrianise a city street is not just an embarrassment – it reflects the broader inefficiency and dysfunction that increasingly characterise how we approach public projects in this country. Our city and our citizens deserve much better. – Yours, etc, PETER LYNN, Sandymount, Dublin 4. Sir, – Your editorial (' Creating a new city centre space ,' June 24th) on the escalating cost of the College Green Plaza redevelopment misses the real crisis: stalling projects like this has stifled cycling, robbing citizens of health benefits. Cycling slashes risk of death from heart disease and dementia by 30-40 per cent, yet delays keep our streets unsafe and lacking a joined-up network of protected bike lanes. Plans like this will change hostile environments into ones that are safe, enabling Dubliners to choose healthy mobility. As cycle infrastructure projects wallow in planning purgatory, every year lost costs lives, not just euro. – Yours, etc, Dr SHANE O'HANLON, Terenure, Dublin 6. Electric cars in the slow lane Sir, – Bernard Farrelly (Letters, June 25th) is so right to point out the lack of high-speed chargers available around the national road network. Not only do the drivers of electric vehicles have to wait to fill up while their fellow petrol and diesel road users are done and dusted in two or three minutes, but they must also grapple with very rigid and heavy charging cables which are sometimes too short, a different machine and app for every service station and the inability to just pay by tap and go. When encountering yet another new EV charging provider on your journey you have to register online, verify by email and figure out what code on the charger may or may not need to be scanned. All this in the furthest flung corner of the service station and fully open to the elements. If the Government wishes to ramp up the number of electric cars on the road at pace, they might want to make sure filling up with electricity is at least as easy as filling up with liquid fuel. – Yours, etc, JOE FAHY, Dangan, Galway. Alcohol and labelling Sir, – Regarding the labelling of alcohol products in Ireland, I suggest using a similar strategy to that employed by Norway with regards to its oil industry. Norway exports oil products all over the world, while at the same time protecting its citizens from local pollution from those oil products by subsidising one of the most widespread electric vehicle systems in the world. Ireland could do similar with alcohol labelling. Produce a special label specifically for the Irish market, while exporting without our specific labelling to the rest of the world. The cost of Irish-specific labelling can be paid for by the enormous volume of export product currently going all over the world. Would it cost 1/2 cent extra on an export bottle to pay for the Irish labelling? An Irish solution to an Irish problem. – Yours, etc, DAVID DORAN, Co Carlow. Supporting the Civil Service Sir, – Eddie Molloy, (Letters, June 21st) emerged from his redoubt to fire off a virtual scattergun criticism of the entire Civil Service administration. He says with admirable confidence that the service suffers 'administrative incompetence and inertia', segueing effortlessly into the 'fact' that the Civil Service is not up to the job. As a former civil servant, there was a recognition that there tended to be a cyclical attack on the public service, akin to the life cycle of cicadas, ie about every 15 years. Does Mr Molloy not recall any or all of the incredible private sector fails by banks, building societies and other financial institutions in the relatively recent past, that almost brought the country to its knees, beholden to the International Monetary Fund? On another front, the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, during the Covid pandemic, steadied the nation's nerve and brought us through an unprecedented crisis. Later on, certain individuals and groups, who should have known better, began a campaign to denigrate those who had worked tirelessly until the serious threat had receded, suggesting that the essential restrictions had been largely unnecessary. I am all for valid criticism, but generalised 'certainties' are never sustainable. – Yours, etc, PATRICK JUDGE, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Short letters Sir, – Regarding the letter about The Irish Times publishing longer letters as opposed to shorter ones: Short letters rule, OK. – Yours, etc, JOHN ROGERS, Rathowen, Co Westmeath.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
More than 100 complaints of excessive legal costs upheld by regulator
More than 100 complaints of excessive legal costs, most relating to family law and litigation costs, were upheld by the legal services regulator last year. A 14 per cent rise in complaints about legal practitioners to the regulator last year was largely due to a high volume of complaints by banks alleging failures by solicitors to comply with undertakings, the report of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) for 2024 also disclosed. Published on Thursday, the report said 143 of the more than 1,400 complaints finalised against legal practitioners last year were upheld, while more than 40 per cent were inadmissible. Of the complaints upheld by the regulator's complaints committee, 107 related to legal services and excessive costs, of which more than 60 per cent related to costs of litigation and family law. The remaining 36 of those upheld related to alleged misconduct. READ MORE Fifty-seven complaints of alleged misconduct were referred by the committee to the separate Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal because the authority cannot itself make findings of misconduct against legal practitioners. The LSRA has since 2020 received and investigated three types of complaints about solicitors and barristers – relating to alleged misconduct, inadequate legal services and excessive costs (overcharging). Some are mixed complaints and the vast number are against solicitors, reflecting the higher number of solicitors and their greater level of contact with clients. [ Judge criticises 'millionaire' legal costs and says losing litigants should be told lawyers' hourly rates Opens in new window ] It received 1,476 complaints last year, up 14 per cent on the 2023 figure, of which 1,410 related to solicitors and 66 to barristers. More than half, 762 (52 per cent), alleged misconduct only, 350 (24 per cent) alleged inadequate standards of legal services, mostly relating to litigation and conveyancing, and 23 (1 per cent) were from clients relating to excessive costs (overcharging). The remaining 341 complaints (23 per cent) were complaints on mixed grounds, of which 262 included an allegation of misconduct, 328 of inadequate services and 147 of excessive costs. Most complaints, 600 (41 per cent) concerned legal professionals practising in Co Dublin, 146 (10 per cent) related to Cork-based legal practitioners, 66 to Limerick and 53 to Kerry. Multiple complaints may be brought against an individual practitioner. Of the 1,474 complaints closed last year, 621 (41 per cent) were closed on inadmissibility grounds. A total of 143 complaints (10 per cent) were upheld and 182 (12 per cent) were not upheld. A further 324 complaints were resolved between the parties, including 62 with assistance of the LSRA's mediators. The LSRA made 18 successful applications to the High Court for orders to enforce its directions in complaints against legal practitioners. [ Inside the childcare courts: 'Making money from the misery of children - that's distasteful' Opens in new window ] The authority's chief executive Dr Brian Doherty said it was 'encouraging' more than one in five of all closed complaints were resolved between the parties, including with assistance of the regulator's complaints staff and trained mediators. While informal resolution may not be appropriate in every type of complaint, the evidence is that informal resolution 'can be a very effective and efficient way for both parties to work through their issues or disputes', he said. The report noted continued growth in 2024 in partnerships of solicitors seeking to operate as Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs). A total of 26 LLPs were authorised by the LSRA during the year, bringing to 509 the number authorised since November 2019 when LLPs were introduced. The number of barristers continues to increase. A total of 3,071 barristers were on the Roll of Practising Barristers by the end of 2024, up 20 on the previous year. Of these, 2,134 were members of the Law Library and 937 were practising outside of the Law Library.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
VAT rate for small businesses will be reduced permanently, Tánaiste tells party colleagues
The next Budget will be an 'expansionary package' with plans to permanently reduce the VAT rate for small businesses, the Tánaiste has said. Simon Harris told the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday that Budget 2026 would be 'responsible and responsive', according to a source present. The Tánaiste is understood to have told those present that he and his party colleagues remembered 'very well' what the party canvassed on in the lead up to the general election. Among the measures discussed was a permanent reduction in the VAT rate for small businesses. READ MORE This was alongside remarks by Mr Harris that childcare fees for many families are 'like a second mortgage'. He told colleagues these costs must be 'permanently reduced' over the lifetime of the Government. He added that the cost of education, across all levels, must be reduced alongside healthcare costs, while 'significant progress' must be made in children's disability services and special education. Separately, the Fine Gael leader said he supported calls for post offices to receive €15 million per year in funding for the next five years. A report earlier this year from Grant Thornton found that the post office network requires this level of funding per year until 2030, without which the State faces the prospect of 'rapid, unrestrained closures', which would risk 'irreparable financial, economic and social harm'. Direct funding of €10 million annually from the State is due to expire at the end of this year. An Oireachtas committee on Wednesday heard that up to 400 post offices could close if the State does not increase aid.
