12 hours ago
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 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.
