The Government’s plan to ban trade from illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories has been given a boost by senior European Union officials, as one option national governments could consider taking to put pressure on Israel.
The proposed Occupied Territories Bill is expected to be put before the Dáil in the autumn. The legislation would prohibit trading with companies operating in illegal settlements in the West Bank and other occupied territories.
Now a new paper from the EU’s diplomatic corps has raised the possibility of national governments blocking Israeli trade from occupied territories without needing to wait for unanimous agreement at EU level.
The document, seen by The Irish Times, sets out various options the EU or its member states could take to put pressure on Israel, which foreign ministers will discuss during a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday.
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Critics of Ireland’s Occupied Territories Bill had previously argued it would breach EU law, as the European Commission has responsibility for the bloc’s trade policy. Recent advice from the Attorney General, however, gave the Government confidence it has grounds to move ahead with the draft law.
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The new paper from the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, is expected to give further cover to the Government’s proposed legislation.
The document said the EU had the option of banning imports from settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, if it had the backing of all 27 countries.
An “alternative” would be governments deciding to ban trade coming from the settlements at national level, it said. Officials suggested this would not need EU sign-off, but that some debate about the “permissibility” of such moves might have to take place between capitals first.
Conor O’Neill, head of policy at Christian Aid, said the EU’s reference to domestic laws banning trade with Israeli settlements was a “really significant shift”.
Mr O’Neill, who helped draft the Opposition’s initial version of the Occupied Territories Bill, said “for the first time the EU has recognised that individual member states may ban trade with Israel’s illegal settlements”.
The Bill was first put on the table by Independent Senator Frances Black in 2018, but was stalled by previous governments.
Growing pressure to do more during Israel’s 21-month bombardment of Gaza saw the Government commit to taking up the legislation. A revised version of the draft law is now making its way through the Oireachtas.
The EU paper said the union could also consider suspending its “association agreement” that governs EU-Israel relations, or shelve a free trade deal Israel enjoys as part of the agreement. The paper was circulated to diplomats from each EU state on Thursday.
Other possible options on the table are to put economic sanctions on Israeli politicians, an embargo on weapons sales to Israel and cutting off Israel’s access to research funding schemes.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the proposals next week, but it is unlikely there will be a decision taken to pursue any of the options, given most would need the unanimous support of all 27 capitals.
Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic have consistently blocked the EU from penalising Israel for its conduct during the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians.
Ms Kallas, who chairs the meetings of foreign ministers, was directed to draw up a list of possible ways in which the EU could pressure Israel, to improve the dire conditions on the ground in Gaza. In a bid to avoid possible sanctions, this week Israel gave the EU commitments that it would allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
