Sinn Féin is to introduce a motion on the Occupied Territories Bill when the Dáil returns on Wednesday as the Opposition seeks to squeeze the new Government on the sensitive Israel-Palestine issue.
The Coalition has committed in the programme for Government to “progress legislation prohibiting goods from Occupied Palestinian Territories” but has signalled recently that the bill – originally proposed by Independent Senator Frances Black – may have to be entirely rewritten.
Supporters of the bill fear this is a delaying tactic, amid signs of growing concerns in Government about the potential economic costs to Ireland of taking unilateral action against Israel.
Speaking to journalists at Leinster House on Tuesday afternoon, the Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said that the Government had “stalled, they’ve prevaricated and now is the time for action.”
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“So, collectively Sinn Féin and others on the opposition benches, will urge the Government to move very, very speedily on this matter, and I hope that members in Government who in the past also have supported recognition of the Palestinian state and indeed the Occupied Territories Bill will do the right thing,” she said.
Asked about the possible economic costs of pursuing the bill, which has angered the Israeli Government, Ms McDonald said, “We have to do two things. On the one hand, we have to do what is right in respect of international law and the rights of the Palestinian people, and peace in the Middle East. I think the desire of Irish people to be on the right side of history in the face of a genocidal Netanyahu regime is beyond question. The Government has to respond to that and accurately reflect and carry out the wishes of the Irish people.
“We also have to manage our relationship, particularly with the United States, the deep economic relationship that we have, and I think that both of those things can be managed in a calm way,” she said.
Ms McDonald added that Ireland needs to “have an open, a frank, a strong dialogue with all of our international partners, including in the United States of America, about that and also about our ongoing economic relationship.”
Asked if she saw any potential conflict between our interests on the one hand and “doing the right thing” on the other, Ms McDonald said: “We need to reconcile whatever conflicts might be suggested. We have to ensure, of course, that foreign direct investment is protected, that Irish jobs are protected. And we also have to ensure that we insist upon compliance with and respect for international law, and where a genocide is televised that Ireland does not flinch, that we stand up and that we are counted.
“That is the job of Government very often, you have to manage things that are tricky, that might at first glance come in to conflict with each other, but that’s the job of good, thoughtful Government.”
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