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Irish Times

Occupied Territories Bill: Poll finds many voters now want economic implications examined

Is the public having second thoughts on the Occupied Territories Bill ? Perhaps. Friday's poll numbers suggest that there is a growing awareness of potential economic consequences and that many voters want those consequences to be examined fully before the Oireachtas passes the Bill into law. This is not, it should be stressed, a finding that the public has turned against the idea of the Bill. The proportion of those who say it should be shelved completely is just 10 per cent, down from 12 per cent when the issue was last asked about in an Irish Times opinion poll. There a definite shift in the public mood on the issue, all the same. Though the questions differed slightly, back in April a majority of those who gave an opinion wanted to proceed with the Bill immediately; now a majority does not, split between those who want to examine the consequences first and those who oppose the Bill outright. READ MORE The proposed legislation has begun to command significant international attention. This week, a series of US politicians spoke out against it, a move that suggests Israel's formidable lobbying power in Washington is being deployed against the measure and this State. Last week, a legal opinion commissioned by a pro-Israel group in New York suggested that US companies operating here under the proposed legislation would fall foul of US federal and state laws. [ Ireland's dissatisfied voters are moving, but not towards the left Opens in new window ] There is also significant interest in and support for the Bill in the European Union, however, which has seen many member states move to a position much more critical of Israel over the last 12 months. The Republic has emerged as something of a leader of the pro-Palestinian cause in the EU and passing the Bill, say supporters, would be the strongest statement yet against Israel's conduct in Gaza and the West Bank. The heads of the Bill – a summary of what it intends to do – is being discussed by the Oireachtas foreign affairs committee, which will forward its report to the Government, probably before the end of this month. The committee is certain to recommend proceeding, and may recommend the inclusion of services in the actual text to be submitted to the Dáil in the autumn. The Government will also consider a revised legal opinion on that question, as well as an impact assessment. But then it will have to make some very tricky decisions, with significant consequences either way. Tariffs: Why has Donald Trump threatened the EU again? Listen | 47:35 The decisions on the Bill will be made against a background of extreme economic turbulence. Today's poll reveals that the public is split on the best approach to the ongoing negotiations with the US. Asked if the EU should agree a 10 per cent tariff to secure a trade deal with the US, or if the EU should negotiate harder and risk a trade war, there's not much between the two views: 39 per cent of respondents want to cut a deal at a 10 per cent tariff rate, while slightly more, 42 per cent, want to tough it out. These findings were somewhat overtaken by US president Donald Trump 's announcement over the weekend that he would impose a 30 per cent tariff on August 1st if there was no deal with the EU. If Trump proceeds in that direction, the bloc will have little option but to fight a trade war until a better deal is reached. [ The Irish Times-Ipsos B&A poll July 2025: the full results in charts Opens in new window ] Following recent public divisions on the question in the Coalition, voters were also asked their attitude to third-level fees, and the possibility of them being restored to €3,000 a year from the current €2,000. The results are not, perhaps, surprising. Three-quarters of all respondents (75 per cent) say that this is not the right time to restore the €3,000 level, with just 16 per cent agreeing. Among Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voters, there is a bit more support for restoring fees to €3,000 – but not all that much. A fifth (20 per cent) of Fianna Fáil voters and a bit more than a fifth (23 per cent) of Fine Gael voters favour fees going up – but really, the move would be unpopular across the board. With the Government committed to a tighter budget in the autumn and a removal of all the one-off cost-of-living payments that were part of the last three budgets, these numbers show just how hard it will be to take away benefits to which voters have become accustomed.