Occupied Territories Bill

[1][4] The bill was tabled in the Oireachtas by independent senator Frances Black in January 2018, who stated that "trade in settlement goods sustains injustice".

[3] She consulted Sadaka, Trócaire, Christian Aid, Amnesty International, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) during the drafting process.

[5] The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Colette Kelleher, David Norris, Lynn Ruane, Alice-Mary Higgins, Grace O'Sullivan and John Dolan.

[2] Fianna Fáil foreign affairs spokesperson Niall Collins introduced the bill in the Dáil,[9] saying that his party's support was due to "[increasing concern] about the actions of Israel and its continued and blatant disregard for international law".

[14] Former Irish Fine Gael politician Alan Shatter, in an opinion piece for the Jerusalem Post noted that, even if the bill is passed, the foreign ministry could decline to implement it.

[15] There was renewed impetus in the Bill in 2024 when the government sought legal advice from the Attorney General following the International Court of Justice's ruling on Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.

[16] Following the Attorney General's advice the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin confirmed on 22 October 2024 that the Bill would be "reviewed and amendments prepared in order to bring in into line with the Constitution and EU Law".

[17] This move was strongly criticised by the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, who claimed the Bill was a "discriminatory attempt to target Israel" and that the proposed legislation was "anti-Israel".

[21] In January 2025, a Programme for Government agreed between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and a group of Independent TDs committed to "Progress legislation prohibiting goods from Occupied Palestinian Territories following the July 2024 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion."

This includes criticism from Steven S. Howitt, a state representative, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and Mintz Levin chairman Robert Popeo, who characterised the bill as antisemitic.

[3] Isaac Herzog wrote to Coveney, stating that the legislation "sets a dangerous precedent which is detrimental to the relations between our countries and to the chances of resolving the Israel Palestinian conflict by a negotiated compromise".

[33][37][31] An editorial in The Jerusalem Post criticised the omission of other territories considered occupied under international law in the debate over the bill, such as Turkish Cyprus, Western Sahara, and the Crimea.