&w=3840&q=100)
EU member Ireland moves against Israel over Gaza clean-up operation, to ban imports from occupied areas
If the bill is passed, Ireland would make importing goods from the occupied regions of Palestine a criminal offence. However, the law will not seek a boycott of Israeli products read more
A drone view shows displaced Palestinians sheltering in tents set up near the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City on February 17, 2025. Reuters File
Ireland has moved to table a bill that would ban imports from the occupied territories of Palestine, a first such move by an EU member to curtail products made by Israeli settlements in Gaza.
'Given the scale and gravity of what we're now seeing with the deprivation of aid and the bombardment of Gaza … this is an appropriate course of action to take,' Simon Harris, the country's deputy prime minister, told the Financial Times.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The settlements consist of residential, agricultural, and commercial developments in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, located beyond Israel's internationally recognised borders.
How will it affect trade?
If the bill is passed, Ireland would make importing goods from the occupied regions of Palestine a criminal offence. However, the law will not seek a boycott of Israeli products.
A ban on exports from the occupied territories is largely symbolic, given that trade is limited to physical goods like dates, oranges, olives, and some timber, with a total value of just €685,000 over the four years from 2020 to 2024.
Conor O'Neill, the head of advocacy and policy at Christian Aid Ireland, said, 'This is a massive welcome step, it is the first time a trade measure of this kind has been applied to Israel by any EU country. After decades of saying and repeating that illegal settlements are totally illegal and that the EU is opposed to them, this is the first time that words are being matched with action.'
EU reviews deal with Israel
Last week, the EU ordered a review of its cooperation deal with Israel and Britain halted trade talks with it as European nations took a tougher line over the Gaza war.
France renewed its commitment to recognise a Palestinian state, a day after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily hit back at Britain, France and Canada for threatening action over his country's military offensive and blockade of Gaza.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said 'a strong majority' of the 27 member states at a foreign ministers' meeting backed the move in a bid to pressure Israel.
'Countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable, and what we want is to really help the people, and… to unblock the humanitarian aid so that it will reach the people,' Kallas told journalists.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
With inputs from agencies
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'There were acts of mistreatment': French doctor claims that Greta Thunberg was mistreated by Israeli forces during Gaza aid mission
Greta Thunberg (Image credits: X/@benonwine) A French doctor who was aboard a humanitarian aid boat bound for Gaza has accused Israeli authorities of mistreating passengers, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, after the vessel was intercepted at sea. Dr Baptiste André, one of the 12 people on the Madleen, said passengers were mocked, deprived of sleep, and given limited access to food and water while in Israeli custody. 'I don't have the legal qualifications to specify what happened, but there were acts of mistreatment,' he told reporters upon arriving in France. The Madleen, organised by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, departed from Italy on June 1 to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza amid a worsening blockade. It was intercepted by Israeli naval forces roughly 200 kilometres from the Gaza coast. Four passengers, including Thunberg, signed deportation documents and were sent back home, while eight others remain in Israeli custody awaiting a court hearing. Thunberg, 22, accused Israel of forcibly detaining the activists in international waters. 'This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing,' she said upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Israel's government dismissed the voyage as a publicity stunt, labelling the vessel a 'selfie yacht' and accusing it of breaching its naval blockade on Gaza. Thunberg described the voyage as a peaceful protest against Israel's blockade, which she said is worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.


India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Watch: Houthi missile nearly strikes civilian jet, intercepted mid-air over Israel
A tragedy was narrowly avoided on Tuesday evening after a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels nearly struck a civilian aircraft flying over Israel. According to Israel's military war room, the missile was successfully intercepted in midair by Israeli defence systems."A Houthi ballistic missile launched at Israeli civilians nearly hit a civilian plane. If not for the competence of Israeli air defences, there could have been a mass casualty event caused by Iranian-backed terrorists," the Israeli warroom stated in a post on X, sharing a video of the incident. The footage shows the plane passing by moments before the missile was intercepted.#WATCH: Earlier today, a Houthi ballistic missile launched at Israeli civilians nearly hit a civilian plane. If not for the competence of Israeli air defenses, there could have been a mass casualty event caused by Iranian-backed terrorists. Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) June 11, 2025advertisement"The missile fired at Israel on Tuesday broke up into multiple parts after being hit by an interceptor, leading the Israeli Air Force to launch additional interceptors to shoot down the fragments," a military official said as quoted by The Times of Israel. According to reports, at least seven interceptors were used during the mission. The Iran-backed Houthis took responsibility for the attack. They claimed that to have launched two ballistic missiles at Ben Gurion Airport in central the past, partially intercepted Houthi missiles have led to casualties when remaining warhead fragments landed in populated RESPONDS WITH FIRST NAVAL STRIKE ON YEMENThe attack set off air raid sirens throughout central Israel, the Jerusalem area, southern West Bank, and parts of southern Israel. Residents in impacted areas received a long-range missile warning via mobile alerts two minutes prior to the sirens. Five minutes before the sirens sounded, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also issued a notice to the January 2025, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, but the Houthis continued to fire. They had fired more than 40 ballistic missiles, dozens of drones and cruise missiles. One of those missiles killed a civilian and injured multiple others in Tel Aviv in July, which prompted Israel to launch its first strike in Houthis have fired at least 11 drones and 48 ballistic missiles at Israel since the IDF's assault against Hamas in the Gaza Strip resumed on March Watch

Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Federal judge says Donald Trump cannot detain Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil, then does this...
A US federal judge passed a ruling on Wednesday stating that the Donald Trump administration cannot keep using US foreign policy interests as a means to justify the detention of Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. However, he then delayed the release order, saying that the ruling will not come into effect until Friday, according to a Reuters report. Judge Michael Farbiarz was quoted saying in his order that the ruling would not immediately take effect, and that the administration has until 9:30 am Friday to respond to this latest ruling. This new ruling comes soon after another order passed last Thursday, preventing the Trump administration from arresting a Columbia University student, Yunseo Chung, 21, whom it is seeking to detain and deport to South Korea ever she participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration earlier this year. According to reports, Chung never lived in South Korea since she was 7 years of age. Meanwhile, in another development, Noor Abdalla, 28, wife of Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, was interviewed by Reuters, after which she appeared for a portrait.