Latest news with #OireachtasForeignAffairsCommittee
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Alan Shatter criticised for comparing Occupied Territories Bill to 'Father Ted'
Former justice minister Alan Shatter has been criticised for comparing a ban on trade with Israeli settlements to the TV show 'Father Ted'. Ex-Fine Gael TD Mr Shatter appeared at the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee in his role as a member of the Ireland Israel Alliance, opposing a draft law banning trade with Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands that have been deemed illegal. Mr Shatter repeatedly described it as a "Father Ted" measure and compared it to Jews being targeted during the Second World War. Mr Shatter said the bill was "based on falsehoods" and "abandons all lessons learned in our own peace process". He said a lack of definition around the word 'originated' in the bill "creates a myriad of difficulties". "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," he said. Committee member Brian Brennan said that he had met seriously injured and orphaned Gazans as well as "hardened" charities in Cairo at the weekend. "I went and I sat on a bed with a young man who was in the prime of his life and has two months to live because of what's happening in Gaza," the Fine Gael TD for Wexford-Wicklow said. I played football with teenage kids who are orphans because of what's happening in Gaza. I held the hand of a two-year-old child who had bullet wounds because of what's happening in Gaza. "How dare you come in here and make such statements as 'a Father Ted bill'." Responding, Mr Shatter said the bill is "a thing of complete irrelevance" to peace and did not deal "with the lives of people". "What you're doing is trying to ban the importation of a small amount of olives and avocados from the West Bank of East Jerusalem, the total value of which, over five years, came to €685,000." Asked by Fine Gael TD Barry Ward if there is acceptance that settlements were contrary to international law, Natasha Hausdorff, barrister with the Ireland Israel Alliance said that "one cannot occupy what is one's own property". Committee chair John Lahart said the idea that the bill is antisemitic was "hugely hurtful, hugely offensive, slanderous" and he "rejected it in its entirety". You won't find antisemitism here, and you would do this country — which you love, and we all love — a great favour by promulgating that view as widely and as strongly as you possibly can. Mr Shatter responded that this is "the perception the bill internationally creates". Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, called the bill "misguided" and "not a plan for peace". He said that "while this bill may not set out to target Jews or Jewish life, it is a message unmistakably felt by us". He said the "bill may feel good", but "does it do good?" Labour's Duncan Smith said that there was a "fundamental point of divergence" on whether settlements were illegal. Earlier, Tánaiste Simon Harris responded to Mr Shatter's Father Ted reference by saying there was nothing humorous about the killing of children in Gaza. Mr Harris told Newstalk radio that the Irish Government can differentiate between a people and their government, and that the actions of the Israeli government are "despicable". Read More Israeli strikes kill 30 in Gaza, health officials say
RTÉ News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
'Appalling act' - Tánaiste criticises Hungary's block on Ukraine-EU talks
The Tánaiste Simon Harris has accused Hungary of an "appalling act" in constantly blocking Ukraine from entering accession talks with the European Union. Speaking to the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee, the Tánaiste said: "Shame on them." Mr Harris said a focus of Ireland's six-month presidency of the European Union next year would be accession for Ukraine, as some counties have been "knocking on the door for far too long." He added that the EU has been "far too sluggish" in tackling the matter, and Ireland was underlining its priorities by shortly opening embassies in Moldova, Serbia and Bosnia Hercegovina. Viktor Orban opposing support for Ukraine Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has strongly opposed providing NATO military and EU aid to Ukraine, saying the country's EU membership would destroy Hungarian farmers and the wider economy. Ukraine had already initiated the necessary reforms and is ready to speed up the negotiations. Russian president Vladimir Putin is sought by the International Criminal Court for the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia in the aftermath of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Mr Orban's decision to meet the Russian president in person in October 2023 was a clear signal to the west that Budapest wants to play no part in the European Union's agreed policy towards Russia. Denmark to push for Ukraine inclusion in EU It comes as Denmark said last week that it will continue preparing Ukraine for EU membership in the face of Hungary blocking negotiations, when the Nordic country takes over the presidency of the European Council from 1 July, its European affairs minister said. "Unfortunately, Hungary is blocking and we are trying to put as much pressure there as we can and also do everything we can to make Ukraine continue with the necessary reform work," minister Marie Bjerre said. "When we get to the point where we can actually open the specific negotiation chapters, we can be ready to close them very quickly," Ms Bjerre added.
RTÉ News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Divided views on timetable for Occupied Territories Bill
There are two possible faultlines with the long-promised Occupied Territories Bill (OTB). The first is the speed with which it's going to be enacted. Senator Frances Black argues there can't be anymore delays, given "genocide is happening and children are starving". However, Tánaiste Simon Harris says the bill will have to be scrutinised by the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee before the Dáil gets to vote on the legislatoin. That means it's highly unlikely the OTB will be passed before the Dáil summer recess on 17 July. The other issue is whether the legislation covers goods being produced in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, or services as well. Senator Frances Black argues there needs to be a "full ban" on both. But the Tánaiste believes that the legal route to banning trade in services was "not clear". Both politicians said today's meeting had been productive, but the mood music may not always be harmonious in the future. Tánaiste Harris was keen to point out today that the Occupied Territories Bill isn't his only focus when it comes to Gaza. He said his aim is to "build a coalition" of countries, given Israel's plan to re-enter Gaza constitutes what he termed "a war crime". The aim will be to re-open the EU-Israel Association Agreement, given that it has human rights elements at its core which, Mr Harris said, "means something". He agreed that former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had written a letter to Brussels on the same issue, but it had been effectively ignored. However, the Tánaiste felt that if countries such as Luxembourg and Slovenia joined in a common approach then it could be more "impactful".
