Ibec head labels Occupied Territories Bill ‘symbolism and moral positioning'
Israel
over
Gaza
and its failure to spend properly on defence are damaging its interests in the
United States
and with other
EU
member states, the head of Irish employers' association Ibec has warned.
The Government's plan to pass legislation banning 'tiny' sums of trade with the Occupied Territories Bill is 'hypocritical', said Danny McCoy, the director general of
Ibec
. Last year, the State bought just €240,000 worth of goods from the Occupied Territories, he told the Patrick MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal.
'We're not talking about millions here,' he said, adding: 'This is not about actually helping in any material way. It's symbolism and moral positioning, and so on. However, with moral positions, you can also reveal hypocrisy.'
His comments follow a series of
criticisms of the Bill
by at least 10 members of the US Congress. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, accused Ireland of suffering from 'diplomatic intoxication' in progressing something as 'stupid' as this Bill.
READ MORE
Taoiseach Micheál Martin yesterday rejected the ambassador's comments and outlined the 'very serious' situation in Gaza.
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Taoiseach rejects US politicians' claims that Occupied Territories Bill is 'diplomatic intoxication'
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However, he said legislation to boycott, divest or sanction activity against Israel could 'inadvertently' affect companies. It would be 'counterproductive' for Irish companies to be punished, he said, adding that the Government will consider and take a legal opinion on this.
The proposed Bill is expected to go before the Dáil in the autumn. The legislation would prohibit trading with companies operating in illegal settlements in the West Bank and other occupied territories.
At the summer school on Thursday, Mr McCoy said the State's stand on Israel is 'well-intentioned' but 'causing us significant damage'.
The consequences are not just from the United States and the Israeli position, he said. 'We've been completely insensitive to our other European colleagues who've also had really significant issues.'
All of them have had struggles with anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in their societies in recent years: 'They have to go sensitively through that, and particularly in Europe as well. But we seem to be insensitive to that kind of dynamic.'
He said he has personally experienced the Republic's fall in standing among fellow EU member states over the issues.
Meanwhile, Irish attitudes to its own defence spending, but also to the defence spending of others, is losing the Republic support among EU states. 'We don't have many supporters,' Mr McCoy said.
'In terms of the business and economics, our goodwill is eroding significantly and substantially.'
Also speaking at the summer school, Prof Brigid Laffan, chancellor of Limerick University, said Ireland should be 'more hard-nosed' and not endanger its diplomatic capital by passing the Occupied Territories Bill.
'We're a small state. We've limited influence. We must use our influence cleverly,' she said. 'Symbolic politics might make us feel good about the world. But unless it changes people's lives on the ground, you should not expend hard-earned diplomatic capacity.' .
She added: 'In a world of such utter uncertainty, drawing attention to yourself in Washington might not be smart.'
Often people in Ireland want to 'assure ourselves that we're good people', but we need to be 'a bit more hard-nosed', she said.
'I know the reaction saying things like this in this country gets, but I think we have to be able to have those conversations.'
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