Exclusion of services from OTB 'worrying'
Independent Senator Frances Black has said it is "worrying" that services are not included in the draft Occupied Territories Bill and it is "absolutely crucial" that they should be.
The draft of the 'Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025' was published today by Tánaiste Simon Harris.
It makes no reference to services being subject to a similar goods ban and has been criticised in the Dáil by opposition parties including Sinn Féin, Labour and the Social Democrats.
The Tánaiste insists he is willing to consider the inclusion of services in the bill and has sought the Attorney General's advice on this matter.
Independent Senator Frances Black has been closely associated with the bill since first tabling proposed legislation in 2018, and has continued to campaign on the subject and has held meetings with Mr Harris on the Government bill.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Senator Black said Simon Harris had committed to her and in public that the Government is "willing to include services in the final bill if we can get the legal detail right".
She said she was "100% certain" that services will end up in the final bill "if we get this detail" right and she "fully intends on holding him to that promise".
"Last year, the International Court of Justice...said very clearly that the Israeli settlements are illegal, and that all countries must end trade with all of them - and all trade, full stop.
"That means both physical goods, like dates and oranges, but also services like tech and IT.
"That is the standard that the Government needs to meet," Senator Black said.
Meanwhile, Social Democrats Senator Patricia Stephenson said the Government has "yet to provide a credible reason for omitting services from the bill".
Ms Stephenson said the Tánaiste "continues to cite vague legal reasons for omitting a services ban" and added that her party has received legal advice saying that the inclusion of services is not only legal but also a "duty to do so in accordance with the ruling from the International Court of Justice".
"The vast majority of Ireland's trade with the occupied territories is in the form of services - legislating for goods alone is not a sufficient sanction of the Israeli government's barbaric actions.
"We need to see this Bill enacted in the form put forward by Senator Francis Black as a matter of urgency, even if this means working through the summer to do so," Ms Stephenson said.
Speaking upon the publication of the general scheme of the bill, the Tánaiste said he has made it clear that the Government will use "all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground" in Gaza.
"Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-State solution.
"This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners.
"Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.
"I have been absolutely clear that we have yet to see an adequate response at EU level to the July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, notably as regards trade with Israeli settlements," Mr Harris said in a statement.
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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 Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: Climate action — we need to move from rhetoric to action
We're going to be hearing a lot about 'just transition' in the coming months. At week two of the UN Bonn climate talks, which will shape the road to the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil, governments are starting to engage with the idea of a just transition. This is to be welcomed. The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat, but a burning reality for millions. Yet, the climate burden continues to fall unfairly on the world's poorest communities and those who have contributed least to global emissions and climate change. A just transition will ensure that the shift to a low carbon economy is fair, inclusive, and delivers job security and affordable food and energy access to the most vulnerable. But it also means rich nations stepping up with grants-based finance to support communities and countries most affected by climate meltdown, countries burdened by debt and denied climate finance. It also means a commitment to a serious shift away from fossil fuels. While the level of fossil fuel finance had been declining since 2021, last year saw two thirds of banks increasing their financing by a combined $162bn — a period when the world experienced its hottest year since records began. Ireland is shamefully playing its part in fossil fuel financing. A recent report by ActionAid Ireland and Trócaire revealed that, as of June 2024, an astonishing €3bn in fossil fuel investments were held by Irish-based financial institutions. Even more disturbing, 91% of that investment is tied to companies actively expanding fossil fuel operations in direct defiance of international scientific consensus on the need to limit global warming to 1.5C. Without a clear agreement on just transition at Cop30, the energy transition risks deepening inequality and further destabilising fragile economies. But a just transition framework, backed by funding, strong labour protections, and international co-operation, can turn this challenge into an opportunity for shared prosperity and resilience. It was encouraging to read Ali Sheridan, the chair of Ireland's Just Transition Commission, an independent advisory body established by the Government last year, affirm recently that it's essential any climate action must be fair for all. The world must move beyond rhetoric to action. A fair climate future must work for everyone, not just the privileged few. Karol Balfe, CEO, ActionAid Ireland, Dublin Criticism towards IHCA unwarranted Sarah Harte asserted in her piece ('The Gaza catastrophe is testing Ireland's conscience – and its credibility', June 11) that the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has taken a position of 'deafening silence in calling out genocide' in relation to Israel's systematic campaign of violence in Gaza. Such criticism is completely unwarranted. The IHCA has issued five statements since the beginning of 2024, condemning the unlawful destruction of hospital infrastructure and subsequent targeting of healthcare practitioners by the Israeli military. We are unequivocal in stating that the actions of the Netanyahu government and Israeli Defence Forces equate to crimes that contravene international law; accordingly, the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant. We agree with the Government's assessment that these crimes against humanity include a genocide against the Palestinian people. In tandem with these repeated statements, I wrote for The Medical Independent a piece entitled 'We cannot be bystanders to genocide' (May 12, 2024), long before any Western government named it as such. In my first public address as president of the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association, I called for an end to the 'targeting of medical staff and hospital infrastructure in plain sight'. Several of our members are working on the frontline in Gaza hospitals, coming under live fire. We cannot be silent when it is these colleagues, their patients, and our Palestinian peers facing these desperate circumstances every day. We will always defend the right of healthcare practitioners to deliver care without fear of death or violence, and for their patients to live healthy dignified lives, whether that be in Ukraine, the Middle East, or any other conflict. Gabrielle Colleran, President, Irish Hospital Consultants Association, Dublin 14 You are as old as how you feel 'You are as old as you are portrayed' may be true ( Editorial, Saturday 21), but what about hitting the dance floor well in to your 80s and 90es as reported by an international newspaper last week about a group of Belgian nursing home residents as they danced and jived to 'bass-heavy' music among their much younger counterparts at a nightclub in central Brussels? You are as old as how you feel and your attitude to doing new things. 'There's no real age limit for knowing how to party, ' says the manager of the nightclub where Papy Booom — a Belgian non-profit that aims to address loneliness among older people and create more opportunities for fun — held their night out. Bring it on I say! Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry Industry crying out for tradespeople I have spent 39 years in the construction business, 33 of them as a self-employed contractor. To me, the elephant in the room is the lack of tradesmen and also general operatives in this sector. When I started out in 1986, we spent our first year in Anco — a government-based training facility and Cork RTC, now MTU. It was a great grounding for green lads starting out. Unfortunately, now we are moving all our children into college because of their popularity and encouragement from secondary schools to encourage kids to go there. There is also a perception out there, from parents mainly, that the construction industry is beneath their child. It's OK for them to train as a engineer/architect/quantity surveyor or possibly some of the physically easier trades of electrical or plumbing. The reality is we are crying out for groundsman, carpenters, blocklayers, and plasterers — the latter two are not a dying trade and will become extinct in the next 10 years or less, which will stagnate the construction industry. What needs to happen is for the Government to financially incentivise builders and tradesmen to employ and train young people. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here At the moment, tradesmen as a whole — there are exceptions — aren't interested in putting the time into training an apprentice. The Government also needs to hold the revenue received from the construction industry, and use it to reinvest in the sector when there is a downturn in the economy and invest in public buildings such as schools, libraries, and hospitals to get better value for money during those times. More importantly, it will keep our building workforce in jobs. This process would encourage young people to go into the sector for stability, and also make parents more content in seeing their child enter the sector. Finally, a strong advertising campaign is needed to get young people to join the industry. Working in the industry can be deeply satisfying, working with your hands and brain and getting a lot of satisfaction. If you are prepared to work hard, listen, and learn, there are great opportunities to earn a good living and become financially secure after a few years of working, compared to going to college and having massive financial outlays in the process and struggling financially in poorly paid jobs at the end of your four or five years of college. Stephen McGrath, Fermoy, Co Cork Landing big tax bill The Connacht Tribune recently reported the dismay of Mayo councillors at the €385,000 that their council must pay to Revenue for their unused residential zoned land. If a council with an annual budget of €213m for 2025 alone cannot make use of its lands, what hope is there for mere mortal private developers without the fairy god-exchequer to fund them and who have things like tax to deal with. Local authorities have cumulatively paid over €11m in residential zoned land tax (RZLT) — clearly, councils have land they are not making use of. Remember that they have deemed their own land ready and suitable for housing. The Land Development Agency is seeking powers to buy private land, but this is a distraction from the real land hoarding done by the many arms of the State itself. Politicians created the ridiculous RZLT. That they find their own councils on the receiving end is a most pleasing karma indeed. Alex Wilsdon, Dublin Rd, Kilkenny Read More Letters to the Editor: My mother had a happy experience of residential care
Irish Times
4 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.
