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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Government should combat 'smear campaigns' against OTB
The Government should consider putting in place resources to address international "smear" campaigns against the Occupied Territories Bill - including taking "proactive" EU, UN and US steps to address "misinformation" over the legislation. Members of the cross-party Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee called for the move after publishing their pre-legislative report on the bill. Among the document's 17 recommendations - which are based on meetings with relevant organisations and individuals over recent weeks - are that: The bill should include a ban on both services and goods from the occupied territories. "Potential legal challenges" should "not be used as grounds for diluting the legislation". A "clear timeline" should be published for when the bill will become law. The Government should encourage "like-minded" EU member states to draw up similar legislation. The Government should "undertake efforts to establish and publish a range of likely scenarios" to help businesses to cope with any possible financial difficulties. However, the report also states that politicians should work "closely with businesses in combating misinformation about the proposed bill". "The committee recommends that the Government continues to engage in proactive diplomacy at EU, UN and US levels, with a public communications campaign to inform the public and international observers of the relevant facts of the legislation and to address any misinformation or misconceptions." Committee chair John Lahart referred to recent "outdated tropes" made against Ireland due to the Occupied Territories Bill, including the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee's claim that Ireland should "sober up" in relation to the legislation. The Fianna Fáil TD said those comments were designed to "bully" and "press buttons", and that they need to be "faced down" by Ireland, saying that ambassadors, diplomats and other officials globally are watching what happens with the bill. Social Democrats senator Patricia Stephenson said there has been "escalation" of "misinformation" in relation to the bill in recent weeks, a view shared by a number of other committee members. Committee members confirmed that there was no disagreement over the final recommendations of the report, and that this was in part due to what they described as the changing atmosphere around the scenes in Gaza across all sides of the political spectrum. Independent senator Alice Mary Higgins said the report's recommendations are "very clear" on the need to include services as well as goods in any bill, while Labour TD Duncan Smith said the report sends "a very strong message" to Government. Committee members said at a press conference that any future Government version of the bill that does not include services would need to provide evidence that is stronger than what was provided to them in hearings. Independent senator Frances Black - who published the original version of the bill in 2018 - said the report publication is "a hugely important step" and that "the services issue is crucial". Senator Black said, "The committee is saying we want this, we want to do it right", and that any attempts at "scaremongering" should not take away from the fact Ireland would be "the first country to lead on this". She added that Ireland has led on similar international issues in the past, including against the apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1980s, and needed to do so again now. The committee's report has now been sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for further examination. While Government has promised to fast-track the bill, the Dáil's summer recess means no decision will be made until the Oireachtas returns in September, at the earliest.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Ireland has been ‘smeared' as a result of the Occupied Territories Bill, Foreign Affairs committee chair says
Ireland has been 'smeared' and 'bullied' over its stance on Gaza and the Occupied Territories Bill, chair to the Foreign Affairs Committee John Lahart has said.
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Occupied Territories Bill: Economic and diplomatic repercussions ‘unknowable', report finds
The economic and diplomatic repercussions for Ireland arising from passing the occupied territories bill are 'unknowable', an Oireachtas committee has found. The foreign affairs and trade committee, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart , will publish its report on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill on Thursday afternoon. It recommends that the Government legislation be extended to include trade in services – one of the most contentious aspects of a ban, and one which could have significant repercussions for the State. As originally envisaged, the bill would only target the minuscule trade in goods between illegally occupied territories and Ireland – whereas the scope of a trade in services would be broader, and much more complex both in terms of logistics and diplomatically. [ From a viewing platform in Israel, observers watch Gaza's destruction through binoculars Opens in new window ] The committee report outlines that 'potential repercussions from the international community, in terms of both international relations and economically, are unknowable' and recommends that Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris 'undertakes efforts to establish and publish a range of likely scenario'. READ MORE It also recommends that advice from the Attorney General on the inclusion of services be expedited, noting it did not have this advice to hand – nor data on trade in services – when it was formulating its report. It recommends that attempts be made to obtain and publish data on trade in services. In his foreword to the report, Mr Lahart draws attention to the a recommendation that the Government continue to pursue its ''optimal policy scenario' of action being taken in relation to Gaza at EU level.' He wrote that even as committee hearings were taking place, the context changed dramatically from one where a potential international conference on a two state solution was being reported to a 'descent into the darkest of humanitarian catastrophes in Gaza, including the continued weaponising of hunger and the threat of famine.' The report recommends that the identification of potential legal challenges to the legislation should 'no be used as grounds for diluting the legislation', and that the Government 'continues to advocate at EU level for further collective action against illegal Israeli settlements'. Continued lobbying of like-minded EU member states to encourage them towards 'equivalent national-level legislation'. It also recommends that preparatory work necessary to support the timely and effective implementation of the bill be conducted in parallel with its passage through the Oireachtas. A proactive campaign should be undertaken, it says, with diplomacy at EU, UN and US levels to inform the public and international observers of the relevant facts of the legislation 'and to address any misinformation or misconceptions'. The report outlines that the committee received hundreds of submissions during its pre-legislative scrutiny process, but that aside from employers' body IBEC, 'virtually no submissions were received from the business or trade/international business or trade sectors'. It recommends that the Government 'addresses this as it progresses the bill'.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Coalition warned against diluting contentious Occupied Territories Bill
The Government will be warned not to allow the potential for legal challenges to be used as an excuse to water down the legislation known as the 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.
RTÉ News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Occupied Territories Bill unlikely to fall despite Oireachtas meeting
When the Occupied Territories Bill has been debated in the Oireachtas recently, it's usually framed in the context of the Opposition parties putting pressure on the Government to go further and faster with its proposed legislation. The Bill should include a ban on services as well as goods, the Opposition argues, and the Dáil and Seanad should sit in August to get the legislation passed into law as quickly as possible. Yesterday it was very different. That is because delegates from the Ireland Israel Alliance were before the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with some representatives of Ireland's Jewish community. They wanted to give all political parties - Coalition and Opposition - a piece of their mind. There was a slight degree of apprehension as everyone took their seats in Committee room 2, and so Chairperson John Lahart took the opportunity to say at the outset that while there are "strongly held views" on the Bill, every participant should be treated with respect. He also urged those in the public gallery not to interrupt. The first to speak was Maurice Cohen, who is Chair of Jewish Representative Council of Ireland. He declared: "I speak as an Irish citizen, born and raised here in Dublin," adding that the "small, long established Irish Jewish community" in Ireland "is now increasingly fearful". Part of that fear he said was down to the Occupied Territories Bill. Mr Cohen declared: "While this Bill may not set out to target Jews or Jewish life, its message is unmistakably felt by us." He continued: "Let me clear: criticism of Israel is not antisemitism, but when criticism becomes a campaign... we must pause." "This Bill is not a plan for peace. It is not a policy. It is a performance of misguided effort." "It won't bring two states closer, but it might drive Jewish communities here in Ireland further into fear and isolation," he warned. Mr Cohen was followed by the former Fine Gael Minister Alan Shatter who was more combative in the language he used. He claimed the Bill is the "first initiative of any European government to enact legislation to intentionally boycott and discriminate against Jews since the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945." "This antisemitic symbolism is reinforced by the absence from the Bill of any prohibition on the importation of goods originating from any other occupied territory'", he said. That was a theme which was continually raised during the Committee's hearing - only Israel was being targeted by the planned legislation. The Oireachtas was not going after Hamas which had triggered the latest conflict by killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 others on 7 October 2023. The Oireachtas was also not going after Iran which had financed Hamas in Gaza, and other entities like Hezbollah in Lebanon. That is why Yoni Wieder, Chief Rabbi at the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, suggested the Bill "demonises Israel". The original Occupied Territories Bill which was introduced by Independent Senator Frances Black in 2018 didn't contain that distinction. It only said:"Illegal settler means a member of the civilian population of an occupying power who was or is present within the relevant occupied territory and whose presence is being, or has been, facilitated directly or indirectly, by the occupying power." In his opening statement, Alan Shatter claimed the Government's revised legislation - the Prohibition on the Importation of Goods Bill - is "essentially a sectarian measure based on falsehoods, riddled with obscurity and anomalies". One of the guests appeared via video link from London - Natasha Hausdorff, Legal Director of the UK Lawyers For Israel. She too zoned in on this issue, arguing: "This version of the Bill now abandons all pretence of going after so-called occupied territories and targets Israel explicitly." Ms Hausdorff also predicted that it could trigger a departure of US companies from Ireland due to "longstanding US anti-boycott legislation" which would pose grave risks for such firms continuing to trade in Ireland." When the moment came for engagement between the Committee members and their invited guests, a time limit came into play. Each TD and Senator had a total of 4 minutes to ask questions and for the invited guest to reply. The Independent Senator Alice Mary Higgins pushed back against the anti-Israeli narrative which had been directed against Ireland in the opening statements. She told the Committee that the Taoiseach Micheál Martin had repeatedly clarified that this is "not a boycott of Israel". "It does not affect Israeli goods," she said. "It only affects the settlements." She asked if the guests accepted that the settlements built in the West Bank are "illegal settlements". "Do you believe that they are part of Israel?" she inquired. That was followed-up by Fine Gael TD for Dun Laoghaire Bary Ward who asked all the witnesses if they accept that "Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory are contrary to International Law." Deputy Ward asked for a yes or a no. Maurice Cohen said he would not be forced into single word answers. "I don't have a yes or a no because there isn't one," said Alan Shatter. He added he "does not accept" that the Israeli-occupied territories in the West Bank are illegally occupied land. Natasha Hausdorff said: "One cannot occupy what is one's sovereign territory." The exchanges were pointed, but not more than that. Later, Labour's Duncan Smith said all the witnesses had failed to recognise that the settlements in the Palestinian territories are illegal. "That's a fundamental point of divergence," he said, and contrary to international law. The only time that the tone of the debate frayed was after Mr Shatter claimed the Bill was a token gesture and akin to an episode of "Father Ted". The Fine Gael TD Brian Brennan recounted how he'd recently visited Cairo and met Palestinians from Gaza. He sat on the bed of a young man in the prime of his life who was dying, and held the hand "of a two year child that had bullet wounds". Responding to Mr Shatter's claim that the Occupied Territories Bill was nothing more than performance politics and a token gesture, Deputy Brennan said robustly: "How dare you come in here and make such statements!" Having referenced that he'd visited Israel, the West Bank and Gaza on countless occasions, Mr Shatter replied: "I don't think a single visit, deputy, to Egypt is the be-all and end-all to resolving the conflict. And this Bill certainly won't resolve the conflict.". Barrister Natasha Hausdorff went further and said the Bill was "succour to Hamas" and "antisemitic". That drew a something of a rebuke from the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart. He said a claim of antisemitism being levelled against TDs and Senators was hugely hurtful and slanderous. "It is the descent by the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Forces into the darkest of places that certainly motivates - as far as I can see - all members of this Committee, from a humanitarian perspective." He added: "There isn't an antisemite in this room. There isn't an antisemite in the Dáil." Deputy Lahart said he believed Mr Shatter was "influential" and he urged him "to take that on board", including when dealing with those in the US establishment. Whatever about that request, Mr Shatter did not concede an inch of the Occupied Territories Bill. He maintained that Palestinian supporters of the Bill were being "fooled and misled" about it having any impact, and that resulted from the fact that "critical faculties are suspended" at Leinster House. In keeping with the Committee's broad approach, Sinn Féin's Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire sought to find some common position with the guests. The Cork South Central TD said the Jewish community in Ireland should feel welcome and a full part of Irish society. He added it is not right to put the responsibility of the actions of Israel's government on individual Jewish people. Deputy Ó Laoghaire then asked Alan Shatter if he accepted that Ireland is bound by international law and compelled to act. Mr Shatter said he studied international law but claimed that it has been "politicised and weaponised and distorted in political debate". The former Fine Gael minister maintained he believed that Ireland could play a real role to try and bring Israelis and Palestinians together. But that would require an even hand and, by extension, the Occupied Territories Bill would have to fall. The mood of the Committee suggested such a development was highly unlikely to happen.
