AhlulBayt News Agency: Ireland is moving forward with enacting a law that imposes restrictions on trade with companies operating in the settlements, a step that has angered Israel and the United States.
Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, told Reuters that the law will be limited to the import of goods and will not come into effect this year.
He added: ‘This is a very limited measure that will ban the import of goods from illegally occupied territories. Similar measures have already been implemented in several European countries.’
The Irish law is expected to help shape similar measures by other European states against trade with the settlements. The Irish government has indicated that it will implement the law soon, but has not yet announced its full scope.
If the law also covers services, it could complicate the operations of technology companies and other sectors working in Ireland that have business ties with Israel. The current law affects a small volume of imports from the West Bank, valued at around €200,000 annually.
Frances Black, the senator who proposed the law, told Reuters that she does not intend to abandon her demand that the law also include a ban on services provided by companies operating in those areas. She explained: ‘It will take a lot of work in the new year, but that is exactly what I intend to do.’
Relations between Ireland and Israel are tense. Last December, Israel closed its embassy in Dublin amid disputes over Irish criticism of its conduct during the war in Gaza, following Ireland’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state. Barry Andrews, Ireland’s representative in the European Parliament, echoed these criticisms and urged Dublin to proceed with the settlement law. He said: ‘Claims that Ireland is anti-Semitic are absurd. Ireland has nothing to fear — we are not the only ones doing this.
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