No evidence of economic issues for Ireland with Occupied Territories Bill
Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, said that Ireland is not putting itself at economic risk in the US by implementing a ban on goods and services coming from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, adding that there is more Ireland could do to sanction Israel for its conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.
She said that the latest information was that there is no evidence that the implementation of the Occupied Territories Bill will result in economic problems for Ireland.
Ibec Executive Director of Lobbying and Influence Fergal O'Brien told the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade that services coming from the Occupied Palestinian Territories were "incredibly hard" to identify.
Ms Callamard called on IBEC to present evidence following its warning.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said that at the moment, Israel has preferential treatment by the EU territory regarding trade.
She said that this needed to be stopped, as Israel is violating the EU's own rules on human rights.
"This issue is not about isolating or not Israel, rather the EU working according to its own rules and upholding the principles at the heart of the European Project.
"Not one action has been taken to stop Israel. It is time to take action to protect people from complete annihilation, it is a genocide."
She added that Ireland was showing leadership in this regard, but it must continue the process to adopt the Occupied Territories Bill.
She said that this would allow Ireland to meet its international obligations under the ICJ ruling on trade with the Occupied Territories.
"Ireland has shown repeatedly that it can stand up to bullies, and there is nothing else apart from bullying Ireland coming out of the US."
She said that international law and the international system were being destroyed by a "bullying state" and that this was not acceptable.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: CAP remains key to the entire rural economy
While we have long ceased to be an agrarian economy, food and agriculture remain vital cogs in the Irish economic machine. So when farmers voice concerns about changes to funding from Europe, we should listen. Farming might not be sexy to an urban population, but that population would find itself greatly impoverished without the things farmers produce. And the industry has such a seasonally and weather-dependent income, with wild fluctuations for the same produce or livestock over the course of time, that any disruption to more guaranteed lines of money become grave situations very quickly. This week, we heard from the Irish Farmers' Association that there is 'a big battle ahead' over EU farm supports, as well as fears that reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — a European set piece — from 2027 will only undermine food production in this country. It is true that there is only ever so much money to go around, and that other countries have different priorities. It is also true that with European countries pivoting more toward defence spending, the money available for workhorses such as farming could be reduced to allow for investment elsewhere. The EU itself has previously announced an €800bn fund for defence, as well as earmarking sums for investment in AI so the bloc doesn't fall behind the likes of the US and, increasingly, China. Yet, we should be conscious of IFA president Francie Gorman's assessment that 'the CAP provides an annual injection of nearly €2bn into our rural economy to support food production … the CAP has been the cornerstone of the multi-billion export sector that underpins thousands of jobs in regions far from the urban centres'. We are known globally for our food and drink exports. They support many thousands of jobs nationwide, and Irish food can be found worldwide. But, as it is, regular readers of our farming supplement will know that many farms are already dependent on off-farm income, or are struggling to find successors. It would be devastating not just for rural Ireland, but for the economy as a whole, if the farming sector faced any significant decline. Housing targets Every day there seems to be a tighter squeeze on the housing market, from the median house price rising by a mind-numbing €35,000 in a year to parents needing to give substantial help to children buying their first homes to, now, finding that there were just 32 rental houses eligible for the housing assistance payment — and none at all in Cork City. Cork, you'll remember, has been targeted for enormous growth under the Government's development plans. But every day the goals and targets seem to not be getting closer, but to be running off into the distance. We are nowhere near completing the number of houses annually that experts believe the country needs and, quite apart from the cost of raw materials, the Irish Examiner has reported in recent weeks on how Ireland will need tens of thousands of extra workers just to meet building demand. Apartments may not be to everybody's liking, but they remain an efficient way of creating housing density in a relatively small area — the problem being that the higher the building, the more excruciating the cost. What more can be done at government level to address this? The housing crisis will, regrettably, only get worse before it gets better — and we have too many homeless families in this country as it is. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Body positive For a species that is naturally so varied in adaptability, taste, and any other category you can think of, we are on the whole utterly useless at properly supporting that diversity. We could pick any example, but in this instance let's focus on body image. Most of us do, after all, try to encourage our children (and grandchildren) to be their own person, to be comfortable in their own skin, to be who they are. So it is, as always, disheartening when you see online pile-ons criticising how anybody looks. The most pertinent this week being the actress Jennifer Love-Hewitt appearing at a film premiere not as she was in her 20s but — shock! horror! — like the woman in her mid-40s that she is. Body shaming is by no means an exclusively male endeavour, or even an exclusively adult one, but letting it go unchallenged seems like a disservice to, well, everyone. And we should note that this is the case when it comes to Love-Hewitt, with many people pushing back against the negative comments and praising her for her more natural look. While there is something to be commended in rejecting Hollywood stereotypes of what a woman — or indeed man — should look like, ultimately the positive portrayal and inclusion of different body shapes is far more important. The simple act of confidently existing should be enough, but even a cursory glance online will show that the act of existence can be seen by too many people as almost a personal affront. The battle to meet expectations for looks on screen has also seen some male stars going to absurd lengths. Chris Hemsworth has a special routine to drain fluid from his arms to make them look more muscular on camera, while Hugh Jackman typically doesn't drink for two days before shirtless scenes as Wolverine. None of this is healthy or relatable, yet some actors and actresses feel they have no choice because of whatever role they play or persona they have created. The objectification of the body, while it has sadly always been with us, seems to feel more weaponised in an era where influencers and grifters dribble detritus onto the phones of teens and adults alike 24/7. Certainly, there is an air of entitlement to judge, even if doing so shows the judges to be deficient in a great many qualities from empathy to discernment. The lesson, surely, is that for all our positive reinforcements, we as a species have a long way to go before we can truly be said to embrace our differences. Read More Irish Examiner view: International aid has a long way to go yet
The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
A direct train from London to Berlin is in the works under new UK-Germany deal
THE UK AND Germany have agreed plans to create a direct train line from London to Berlin – and it's hoped that it will be up and running within a decade. The rail link is part of a wide-ranging friendship agreement signed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Downing Street today. Under the new treaty, a joint taskforce will be established for transport experts from both governments to examine how to address barriers to a new train route, such as how to establish post-Brexit border and security checks. The taskforce will also assess safety standards and collaborate with train operators. It is hoped that the services could be running within the next 10 years. British transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the new agreement has the potential to 'fundamentally change how millions of people travel' between the UK and Germany by offering a 'faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying'. The new agreement was signed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer today. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie – in just a matter of years, rail passengers in the UK could be able to visit these iconic sites direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin,' she said. The new deal follows a similar memorandum signed between the UK and Switzerland in May in an attempt to address barriers to a rail link between the countries. Direct trains have been running across the channel from London to Europe since the Eurostar service was founded in 1994. Advertisement The trains, which run through the Channel Tunnel from London's St Pancras station, go directly to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Last month, Eurostar unveiled plans to launch direct services connecting the UK with Germany and Switzerland. The operator announced proposals to run trains between London St Pancras and both Frankfurt and Geneva from the 'early 2030s'. These routes would be served by a fleet of up to 50 new trains costing approximately €2 billion. Journey times would be about five hours between London and Frankfurt, and five hours and 20 minutes between London and Geneva. Eurostar holds a monopoly in running passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel, but several organisations are developing plans to launch rival services, including Virgin and Uber. The new friendship agreement will also see Germany allow some UK airline passengers to use passport e-gates at its airports by the end of August. Since Brexit, UK travellers arriving at EU airports have generally had to queue for manned desks to have their passports stamped, rather than use automated gates with facial recognition technology. An UK-EU summit in May agreed there is no legal barrier to UK citizens using EU e-gates. Under the deal signed today, only frequent travellers will be able to use e-gates initially. Access will be expanded for all UK nationals once Germany has completed updates to its entry systems as it introduces the EU's long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES), which is expected to start in October. The new digital border management system for non-EU nationals entering the Schengen area will be fully automated and replace the current system of manual stamping of passports. The system will register a person's name, the type of the travel document, their fingerprints and facial images, and the date and place they arrive in and leave the country. With reporting from Press Association Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the EU budget: major barriers to getting an agreement
The EU budget unveiled by Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, was more ambitious in scale than had been expected. But the furious reaction from those who fear they will lose out in the €2 trillion package means there will be a lot of political horse-trading if the final budget is to be agreed by member states and the European Parliament by the 2027 deadline. Even though the commission touted a headline figure of €2 trillion, the actual amount to be allocated is just over €1.8 trillion, when Covid debt payments are factored in. This is still a considerable increase on the €1.2 trillion agreed for the EU budget in 2021, though it still only represents 1.23 per cent of EU GDP. A sum of €300 billion was allocated for agriculture, compared to €386billion in the 2021 budget. What's more, agriculture is no longer a standalone section in the budget. Farmer organisations have vowed to resist the reforms. The spending priorities delineated by the commission reflect the challenges facing the bloc. One is a lacklustre economic performance. There were sizeable increases in allocations for research, innovation and the digital economy. The budget also directs more to eastern member states and allows for extra defence spending. READ MORE To help fund this, the commission is proposing a list of new fund-raising measures, including a tax on big companies. These are sure to prove controversial. And with questions about the financing of the package as well as the direction of resources, what emerges may look very different from the initial plan. Member states have ruled out bigger national contributions and many remain resistant to the idea of expanding common debt issuance to fund centralised spending. There are a lot of spending demands, in other words, but few easy ways to find revenue to meet them. Many member states will push for a smaller EU budget while the European Parliament will argue for more. These are the seemingly intractable problems that von der Leyen has to solve over the next two years.
