LAST UPDATE | 20 Mar

THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES Bill will “hopefully” be passed in the next Dáil term, Taoiseach Michéal Martin said today in a move that further kicks the legislation down the road. 

Ahead of last year’s general election, both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael committed to passing the bill in some form during the next government’s tenure.

However, since then there has been little progress on the bill. 

Today in Brussels, the Taoiseach was asked by a reporter for an update on the bill in light of Israel’s renewed bombardment of Gaza in recent days.

In response, the Taoiseach said the Government has agreed to progress the bill but added that he does not think the status of the bill will have any impact on the immediate decisions of the Israeli government. 

Martin said the bill is currently being progressed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris and that “a lot” of amendments have been worked on by officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“Obviously it won’t be before this session will end, but hopefully in the next session,” the Taoiseach said on the timeline.

Last week, the Taoiseach met with representatives of the Jewish community while in Washington DC for St Patrick’s Day.

During the meeting, he was asked not to pursue the Occupied Territories Bill.

In a statement published after the meeting, the American Jewish Committee said that Martin had informed them that the bill was “no longer on the legislative calendar” but that it was not being dispensed with outright.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach clarified that the existing bill is not in the Government’s published legislative schedule for this Dáil term because the bill in its current form would need too many amendments.

Instead, as was announced earlier this year, the Government will seek to create a new bill.

The spokesman said the Government is committed to the bill, but it will not be brought forward this term.

As it is currently proposed, Senator Frances Black’s Occupied Territories Bill would ban the import of goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

However, since the election, the Government has said services will not be included in the legislation it brings forward and any law would simply ban goods from occupied territories.

‘Colonial mentality’

United Nations expert Francesca Albanese appealed to the Irish Government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill, saying that Ireland should not be doing “business as usual” with Israel.

Speaking during a visit to Dublin today, Albanese said Ireland has an obligation to comply with the provisions of the Occupied Territories Bill, even without having legislation enacted.

Albanese, who is currently serving as the United Nations special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said international law requires Ireland to ban goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements.

She said that was based on a finding from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that the occupation is unlawful and trade with illegal Israeli settlements should not continue.

“If Ireland acted according to international law, it probably wouldn’t need an Occupied Territories Bill, but it would still have an obligation under the ICJ advisory opinion not to have its companies or banks or pension funds, or any financial institutions involved and universities involved with Israel,” she said.

“Don’t look at the border of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, this is a state endeavour.

“There is a (Israeli) minister today that takes decisions over the Occupied Palestinian Territory. We are cutting history and cutting as we please our obligation according to international law, Albanese added.

The UN Special Rapporteur said that it was “shocking” that EU member states are still “behaving as if we were in the 19th century”, describing it as “colonial mentality 2.0″.

She said that the illegality of trading with illegal Israeli settlements is “so serious and irredeemable” that EU member states have an obligation not to deal with Israel.