Ireland to ban goods from Israeli settlements in West Bank by July

The Minister of Foreign Affairs said a law banning the importation of goods to Ireland from illegal Israeli settlements is hoped to be in place by the Dáil’s summer break. She will seek cabinet approval for the Occupied Territories Bill, aiming for enactment by the summer recess. She linked the move to recent escalation of settler violence in the West Bank and said the Israeli government has no desire for a peaceful solution. The bill originally proposed bans on both goods and services, but services were excluded as not implementable. The minister said the government wants legislation that is implementable and can take effect quickly, and it is also pushing for stronger EU-level measures, including EU-wide trade bans and sanctions.

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs has said she hopes a law banning the importation of goods to Ireland from illegal Israeli settlements will be in place by the Dail's summer break. Helen McEntee was speaking to reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday where she will seek to have the Occupied Territories Bill approved. She said she hopes it will then be enacted "by the summer recess"."

"The recent escalation of settler violence in the West Bank shows the Israeli government has "no desire" for a peaceful solution, she added. Asked if the legislation is as strong as she would like it to be, Ms McEntee said: "The Government have been very clear that we will bring forward legislation to respond to what we believe is totally unacceptable behaviour and an escalation in violence, but also very clearly illegal settlements in the West Bank by the Israeli government.""

""I've been very consistent - and I think as a government we've been consistent - that we want to bring forward legislation that can be implementable, that we can bring into effect as soon as possible." The minister also said the Irish Government is pushing for change at a European Union (EU) level, adding she believes "this would be the strongest way to respond to the Israeli actions". Last week the EU agreed sanctions on illegal settlements in the West Bank for the first time."

"Ms McEntee said she is also advocating for a collective EU-wide ban on the trade of goods with the illegal occupied territories. She said it was "clear" there is not a consensus on Israel among member states but that recent Israeli government action, including the detention of activists from the global sumud flotilla, had "shifted" the mood within the EU and there is now a "desire to re"

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