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Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Taoiseach says Ireland will not be punished by US over Occupied Territories Bill
Taoiseach Michéal Martin has rejected claims that Ireland will be punished by the US over the Occupied Territories bill and said the country will not 'suffer unduly'. After US President Donald Trump threatened 30% tariffs on imports from the EU earlier this week, US politicians have suggested that the bill will not bode well for Ireland. US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the bill - which will prohibit trade between the State and Israel's illegal settlements- would not be received well in the US and it 'would not go unnoticed'. Speaking in Cork on Friday, the Taoiseach refuted claims that the bill will harm Ireland economically. He said: 'There are efforts abroad to undermine the integrity of Ireland's position, to misrepresent Ireland's position. We are conscious of that. We will always work to protect our economic interests and the national interest 'We don't want in any way to undermine Ireland. The purpose of the exercise is not that Ireland would suffer unduly in respect of this.' The Taoiseach added that the bill 'has not been mooted' and there is a broader negotiation ongoing between the EU and US on tariffs. He added: "Those negotiations are tough and as you know we have until August 1 to resolve it. That is the context on which tariffs will be discussed and now an individual member state basis." This comes as former minister for justice Alan Shatter heavily criticised the bill as it was given consideration at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. As a member of the Ireland Israel Alliance, the former Fine Gael TD repeatedly referred to the bill as a 'Father Ted' measure. He also compared it to how the Jews were targeted during the Second World War. Responding to this, the Taoiseach said: 'What I would reject very strongly is any suggestion that there is any hint of antisemitism in terms of the Irish position. I think that was wrongly presented by former Minister (Alan) Shatter in his presentation to the Oireachtas committee. "I was dismayed at the language he used. It was false language and it was a very false presentation.' The Taoiseach said the focus needs to be on the thousands of people who have died in Gaza and the ongoing loss. He continued: 'The Irish people are appalled by what is happening in Gaza and indeed across the West Bank. People I meet cannot understand the continued slaughter of children. "Only in the last 48 hours a church was attacked, a Catholic Church was attacked and innocent people were killed. The war needs to stop. Hostages need to be released and the political process and a massive surge in humanitarian aid needs to be facilitated.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Al Jazeera
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US citizen killed by Israeli settlers laid to rest as family demands probe
US citizen killed by Israeli settlers laid to rest as family demands probe NewsFeed Funerals have been held for the two Palestinians, including a US citizen, who were killed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Friday. The family of Sayfollah Musallet, who was beaten to death, is calling on the US State Department to investigate and hold the perpetrators to account. Video Duration 02 minutes 08 seconds 02:08 Video Duration 00 minutes 24 seconds 00:24 Video Duration 02 minutes 24 seconds 02:24 Video Duration 00 minutes 57 seconds 00:57 Video Duration 03 minutes 31 seconds 03:31 Video Duration 02 minutes 14 seconds 02:14 Video Duration 03 minutes 13 seconds 03:13
Irish Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Palestinian challenges Garda over decision not to investigate claim Israeli settlers are renting cabins on his land
A Palestinian man who lives in the West Bank has taken an action against the Garda Commissioner for refusing to investigate a complaint alleging that Israeli settlers barred him from his land and used it to build cabins, which were then advertised for rent on an Irish-registered website. The court ordered that the applicant cannot be named after he claimed his life would be under threat from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He is joined in the application by Palestinian rights group Sadaka, The Ireland Palestine Alliance Limited against the commissioner of An Garda Síochána . The applicants allege that the actions of the Irish-registered website in allowing the property to be booked constitute a crime. The initial complaint to gardaí in August 2024 alleged the website was 'an accessory to the crime of transfer, accessory to the crime of appropriation and money laundering'. The applicants seek a High Court order quashing an alleged February 2025 decision by gardaí not to proceed with an investigation into the matter. In papers lodged to the court by lawyers for the two applicants, it is claimed the cabins located in the Occupied Territories on land owned by the man were still being advertised online for rent as of May 2025. READ MORE In a sworn statement, Gerry Liston, a solicitor at KOD Lyons representing the applicants, claims he booked a stay at one of the cabins and printed off the website booking as evidence. It is claimed by the applicants that in the late 1990s the man was barred from accessing his lands by the IDF, and that this situation still exists. Papers lodged to the High Court claim that his inability to access the lands led to decay across various areas, a trend that persisted until 2004 when Israeli settlers began construction on the land. It is claimed the pace of construction increased in 2009 when two cabins were erected and advertised as rental properties online. This, the applicants claim, led to 'settlers profiting from the illegal construction on privately owned Palestinian land' without the consent of the applicant. In November 2024, gardaí wrote to the applicants saying an assessment of the complaint had taken place and that 'following careful consideration, it has been determined there are no offences disclosed within this jurisdiction and therefore a criminal investigation is not warranted'. Last February, gardaí responded to follow-up correspondence saying the matter was closed but that 'the information, however, has been recorded for intelligence purposes by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau'. [ 'Groundbreaking' case over Airbnb lettings in West Bank will set precedent for Irish companies, says Senator Opens in new window ] A replying letter to gardaí from the plaintiffs said the suggestion that there was no evidence of a crime having been committed in Ireland was 'not a sound basis upon which to decline to investigate' and submitted that gardaí had made an error in law. It is submitted the three allegations could be investigated under Section 3 of the Geneva Convention, Section 7, of the International Criminal Court Act and also under Ireland's Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act. The applicants claim material submitted to gardaí 'clearly demonstrates offences which were committed in Ireland'. They accept there are 'practical limitations' on gathering evidence outside of the jurisdiction, but add: 'The gardaí are not limited to gathering evidence of offences in Ireland and can gather evidence in Ireland relating to offences committed abroad prosecutable in Ireland'. At the High Court this week, James B Dwyer SC, for the plaintiffs, applied to Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger to have the man anonymised. In his affidavit outlining why the man should be anonymised, Mr Liston submitted that should his client be identified he 'would be in danger from the Israeli authorities'. 'The danger ranges from harassment, to physical harm and even death,' he states. Ms Justice Bolger anonymised the man, adjourned the matter to October and said the Garda Commissioner should be put on notice.
BreakingNews.ie
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Palestinian challenges Garda decision not to investigate claim Israeli settlers renting cabins on his land
A Palestinian man who lives in the West Bank has taken an action against the Garda Commissioner for refusing to investigate a complaint alleging that Israeli settlers barred him from his land . He also claims the land was used to build cabins, which were then advertised for rent on an Irish-registered website. Advertisement The court ordered that the applicant cannot be named after he claimed his life would be under threat from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). He is joined in the application by Palestinian rights group Sadaka, the Ireland Palestine Alliance Limited, against the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána. The applicants allege that the actions of the Irish-registered website in allowing the property to be booked constitute a crime. The initial complaint to gardaí in August 2024 alleged the website was an alleged accessory to the crime of transfer, accessory to the crime of appropriation and money laundering. Advertisement The applicants seek a High Court order quashing an alleged February 2025 decision by gardaí not to proceed with an investigation into the matter. In papers lodged to the court by lawyers for the two applicants, it is claimed that the cabins located in the Occupied Territories on land owned by the man were still being advertised online for rent as of May 2025. In an affidavit dated May 8th, 2025, Gerry Liston, a solicitor at KOD Lyons, representing the applicants, claims he himself booked a stay at one of the cabins and printed off the website booking as evidence. It is claimed by the applicants that in the late 1990s, the man was barred from accessing his lands by the Israeli Defence Forces, and that this situation still exists. Advertisement Papers lodged to the High Court claim that his inability to access the lands led to decay across various areas, a trend that persisted until 2004 when Israeli settlers began construction on the land. It is claimed that the pace of construction increased in 2009 when two cabins were erected and advertised as rental properties online, which the applicants claim led to 'settlers profiting from the illegal construction on privately-owned Palestinian land' without the consent of the applicant. In November 2024, gardaí wrote to the applicants saying that an assessment of the complaint had taken place and that 'following careful consideration, it has been determined that there are no offences disclosed within this jurisdiction and therefore a criminal investigation is not warranted'. Last February, gardaí responded to follow-up correspondence saying that the matter was closed but that 'the information, however, has been recorded for intelligence purposes by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau'. Advertisement A reply letter to gardaí from the plaintiffs said the suggestion that there was no evidence of a crime having been committed in Ireland was 'not a sound basis upon which to decline to investigate' and submitted that gardaí had made an error in law. It is submitted that the three allegations could be investigated under Section 3 of the Geneva Convention, Section 7 of the International Criminal Court Act and also under Ireland's Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act. At the High Court this week, James B Dwyer SC, for the plaintiffs, applied to Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger that the man not be identified. Ms Justice Bolger granted the order and adjourned the matter to October.
Al Jazeera
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel demolishing homes in West Bank at highest rate in over 50 years
Israel demolishing homes in West Bank at highest rate in over 50 years NewsFeed The highest rate of home demolitions since 1967 is currently underway by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim explains the impact of the destruction on Palestinian communities. Video Duration 02 minutes 19 seconds 02:19 Video Duration 01 minutes 36 seconds 01:36 Video Duration 02 minutes 50 seconds 02:50 Video Duration 01 minutes 01 seconds 01:01 Video Duration 01 minutes 12 seconds 01:12 Video Duration 00 minutes 25 seconds 00:25 Video Duration 01 minutes 22 seconds 01:22
