Coalition warned against diluting contentious Occupied Territories Bill
Occupied Territories Bill
.
The
Oireachtas foreign affairs committee
will this week publish its report on a proposal to ban trade with illegally occupied territories in Palestine.
The report, finalised on Friday, is understood to recommend widening the legislation to include a ban on services as well as goods.
There have been stark warnings from business lobby groups that such a measure could damage the Republic's trading relationship with the US and cause economic harm to Irish businesses and households.
The Occupied Territories Bill is now undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny
Listen |
41:13
The committee will tell the Government to model the ban on trade with illegal settlements in Palestine on 2014 trade restrictions with Russia regarding illegally occupied territories in Ukraine.
The committee, chaired by
Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart
, which did not have statistics on the volume of trade in services between the State and illegally occupied territories, will call on Minister for Trade
Simon Harris
to collate and publish such information.
It will also tell Mr Harris to establish what kind of backlash the State would face in terms of trade and diplomacy should it ban trade with the occupied Palestinian territories.
[
Republic joins 25 states urging end to Gaza war
Opens in new window
]
Ministers will also be advised to consider what defences could be available to a business charged with an offence under the proposed law. .
It is understood that the committee believes further work is required from the Government before the law could be enacted. And it will ask that
Attorney General Rossa Fanning's advice
on the complex Bill is 'expedited' so it can move forward as a matter of urgency.
During meetings before the Dáil rose for the summer recess, Mr Lahart was critical of 'misinformation' about the Bill and the State's motivation for passing it – much of which was repeated by senior US political figures.
Chairwoman of US House Republicans Lisa McClaine described the Bill as a type of 'extreme anti-Semitic hate'.
[
How life in the West Bank is deteriorating for Palestinians
Opens in new window
]
It is understood that the committee's report will call on the Government to explain the motivation behind the Bill to European Union and international colleagues, while also lobbying Brussels for further collective EU action against Israel.
The committee will propose a Government-funded public communications campaign for domestic and international audiences to explain the facts of the Bill and to challenge misinformation spread about it.
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