Department accused of pushing Occupied Territories Bill into ‘purgatory’

The Department of Foreign Affairs has been accused of pushing the Occupied Territories Bill into “legislative purgatory” after it “diluted” its strategy ambitions for 2029.

The department has said it wants to “progress” a prohibition on goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territory by 2029, a change from last year’s goal to “enact legislation banning imports” from the settlements.

The Government has committed to enacting its own version of the 2018 Occupied Territories Bill, which originally sought to ban import of goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements.

The coalition’s Bill has focused on a ban of goods and is listed under “priority publication” in the spring legislative programme.

Concerns have been raised that the Government’s legislation would include only restrictions on goods and not services in illegal Israeli settlements.

The Government has said covering services is more legally complex, and Foreign Affairs Minister McEntee sought advice from the Attorney General on the matter.

Ms McEntee said last week that she has received the advice and will make a decision on “timelines and how we progress with this”.

On Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs updated its ambitions around banning imports from illegal settlements as it published a Statement of Strategy for 2026-2029.

Under its goal of responding to a “changing geopolitical context”, the department said last year that it wanted to “enact legislation banning imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

In its updated strategy published on Tuesday, the department changed the wording to: “Progress legislation prohibiting goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

The update reflects the wording in the Programme for Government but has been characterised as a “dilution” by opposition parties.

Labour’s foreign affairs spokesman Duncan Smith said that “this dilution of language and focus solely on goods” reflects the Government’s “broken promise to enact the Occupied Territories Bill”.

Speaking to the Press Association, he said: “It is clear the Government has consigned this legislation to a legislative purgatory with no indication of when it will come before the Dail.

“They have ignored solid legal advice we heard during pre-legislative scrutiny which stated that services could be included.

“To lengthen the time horizon up to 2029 just gives a further signal that this Government are not committed to enacting this Bill.”

People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett said the change of wording was “despicable”.

Speaking to the Press Association, he said: “This is a shameful dilution of an already pathetically inadequate commitment to sanction Israel by this government.

“Clearly this changed wording is about excluding services from any ban on imports from the occupied territories, massively subverting an already minimal proposed sanction on Israel.

Sinn Fein’s foreign affairs spokesman Donnchadh O Laoghaire said the updated strategy was “further proof” of the Government’s “watering down and walking away” from the Occupied Territories Bill.

He said: “The irony is that Ireland – widely hailed internationally when the Government first said they would ban trade with the occupied territories – is now falling behind.

“We see Slovenia moving forward, we see Spain moving forward.”

He added: “Even (EU foreign policy chief) Kaja Kallas said the EU may now take some action regarding the settlements – but this Government is shamefully long-fingering this legislation and watering it down.”

Mr O Laoghaire said it would be “a disgrace” if the Government drops the Bill.

Social Democrats spokeswoman on foreign affairs Patricia Stephenson said “this dilution of language is craven and outrageous”, and said Government parties were “running a mile” from commitments to enact the Occupied Territories Bill.

Ms Stephenson there is an “ongoing genocide in Gaza” and “settler violence in the West Bank has never been so vicious or so widespread”.

She accused the Government of “stringing along” the Irish public for two years over the Bill.

On Monday, the EU Foreign Affairs Council agreed to sanction Israeli extremist settlers and entities and held discussions on limiting trade with illegal settlements.

A Government spokesman said it is committed to taking “meaningful measures in response to Israeli breaches of international law”.

He said it remains the coalition’s preference that the EU would take collective action on trade as it would have a greater impact.

He said the Government is progressing legislation prohibiting goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following the 2024 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice.

The department and a spokesperson for the Minister for Foreign Affairs have also been contacted for comment.