As new government takes power, ActionAid Ireland says parties must fulfil their election commitments to the Occupied Territories Bill

  • Date: 21/01/2025
  • Author: ActionAid Ireland
occupied territories bill

ActionAid Ireland has called on the new Government parties to fulfil their election commitments to hold Israel to account and not bow to pressure to abandon or dilute the long-awaited Occupied Territories Bill.

ActionAid Ireland CEO, Karol Balfe, said today: “Tomorrow, Wednesday 22 January, the new Irish government will take power. All of the parties and political groupings, without exception, pledged during the general election campaign to support the passing of the legislation. In fact, it was the one issue that the 10 leaders who took part in an RTE Leaders debate agreed on. The incoming Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, has said that the Occupied Territories Bill is to be replaced by a new piece of legislation, with virtually every section of the existing Bill to be amended. Every proposed legislation can be improved but anything less than a robust Bill banning all trade between Ireland and Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank, making the import of goods and services originating from these lands a criminal offence, will be unacceptable.”

Ms Balfe said Ireland can set an example for nations around the world and show that international law means something by passing the Occupied Territories Bill,

“The world is taking an authoritarian turn, with governments acting in increasingly anti-democratic ways and undermining international law. Irish people do not want to be part of this. The majority want international law to be respected and want Israel to be held accountable for war crimes and violations.”

Ms Balfe added: “Even though we are just one small country taking action, the long-awaited Occupied Territories Bill would be an appropriate legal response to a brutal, violent and illegal occupation spanning over five decades and the appalling breaches of international law that have happened in Gaza over the last 15 months. The new Government must not be deflected by the growing unease over the potential economic, political and diplomatic costs of the Bill.”

We have to do the right thing and stand up and be counted. Any dilution of the Bill will not only be letting down the people of Palestine, who have suffered dreadfully, but we need to take a stand against the total undermining of international law by states like Israel and the United States.”

Ms Balfe said while the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th, 2023, was despicable, Israel’s response has been brutal and inhuman.

“For the past 15 months Israel has carried out war crimes on a regular basis and has been found to be in breach of international law by the International Criminal Court. The Occupied Territories Bill is really a minimum step we could take that would limit trade with illegal settlements. It doesn’t even address wider trade policy. As per Irish people’s wishes we must champion human rights and fight to show that international law means something.”

More information on ActionAid Ireland work here.

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