The Blogs: What is the Irish government’s contentious Occupied Territories Bill?

image from the Pass the OTB website

What exactly is the Irish government’s contentious Occupied Territories Bill? It purports to ban trade between Ireland and Israel’s “occupied territories” and “illegal settlements”, including importing goods and services.

In a nutshell, it’s performative political knee-jerk action underwritten with a more malevolent “Nuremberg” policy as an end goal. This virtue-signalling piece of proposed legislation was first introduced in 2018 by Senator Frances Black (Sinn Fein) and Chair of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Campaign for Palestine.

Simon Harris, our national leader, boldly stated in relation to the bill that:

“…complex legal issues still remain and many changes might be required before the bill is enacted…my message to European leaders will be very clear, we’re not going to wait for everyone in Europe to develop a consensus on this…If there’s more Ireland can do, Ireland will absolutely not be found wanting, and I’d be willing to work with people across the political divide in relation to this,” he said.

“Myself and my Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, have consistently raised at the European Council table the need for Europe to move in terms of ceasing trade with Israel until there’s a ceasefire and an end to this violence.” (October 2024)

Ireland not waiting for consensus over Occupied Territories Bill – https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/1015/1475470-occupied-territories-bill/

As if that evisceration wasn’t enough, next in the Israel condemning queue is Oxfam. They state that “the Irish public have made their stance clear on their support for passing the Bill, and imposing sanctions on Israel. Irish people want to know our hands are clean in this conflict. We don’t want to be complicit in any way with illegal Israeli occupation. We stand beside the Palestinian people who have suffered long enough.”

— Bríd McGrath, head of Public Affairs at Oxfam, Ireland.

Oxfam has also joined a collective of groups – Christian Aid (Anglican ethos) Trócaire (Catholic ethos) and trade unions, politicians etc to create the Pass the Occupied Territories Bill Campaign.

What is the real aim of the bill? Economically, it would only impact a mere €1 million in trade. However, Oxfam stated that the bill aimed at “further (significant) cultural and political impacts”:

“Financially, it won’t impact a massive amount of money. However, the cultural and political impact would be significant, and could open the door to other countries to pass similar laws which would have a greater financial impact on Israel. https://www.oxfamireland.org/blog/occupied-territories-bill-where-do-we-stand

Furthermore, now this Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) narrative references the “Hibernian hero” narrative trope. Ireland initiated an historic political campaign related to South Africa’s (very different) apartheid political issues. Inevitably, those that compare oppressed countries, see parallels which confirm what they want to believe, and what suits their arguments in their domestic politics. https://www.ireland.ie/en/southafrica/irelands-relationship-with-south-africa/

“If the bill gets enacted, Ireland would become the first Western country to enact a ban on such trade. Ireland became the first Western country to ban imports from Apartheid South Africa in 1987. Within a few years, most other Western countries followed suit, precipitating the end of South Africa’s apartheid regime.” https://www.passtheotb.ie/

It is inferred that Ireland, yet again the “Pied Piper” – will dance and dogmatically lead the way for all blindly recalcitrant, pro-Israel nations to the one true political path… Indeed! “May you live in interesting times” goes the English expression that claimed to be a translation of a traditional Chinese curse.

Some of the politically diverse range sponsors of the Occupied Territories Bill include the 28 NGOs below (image from the Pass the OTB website)

On RTE Radio (our national broadcaster) a panel discussion took place recently, concerning The Occupied Territories Bill. The contributors were Regina Doherty, Fine Gael MEP for Dublin; Billy Kelleher, Fianna Fáil MEP for Ireland South; Lynn Boylan, Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin; Michael McNamara, Independent MEP for Ireland South.

One of them, Michael McNamara, had a prescient message for upstart Ireland, even if he concluded with assenting the bill being passed:

“But be absolutely clear, we will be isolated in Europe. There’ll be no Spain or Portugal or Belgium standing behind us. We will be isolated in Europe. We will be isolated dramatically with America. And I absolutely expect ramifications…. If we are more popular, if our diplomatic positions are, are applauded in the UN General assembly, or if we, if our ambassadors there are more warmly greeted by their colleagues, what practical benefit is that going to be to people in Ireland if the economy stalls? I mean, I’m just saying there are consequences. I’m not disagreeing with passing it.” https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22478562/ (14 mins total discussion)

How will America and all the tax-important U.S. international companies in Ireland respond to such self-righteous, prejudicial, anti-Israel statements ? Hubris may yet come for Ireland. Then what? Would Simon Harris and the left-leaning cohort of NGOs back down from their bellicose bluster? How would that look? I’m afraid political Ireland has rashly painted itself into a corner…

Irish pundits, politicians and many citizens are enraged about Israel’s faults (real and imagined). So much so, that it suggests our nation is politically toxic-possessed over another small nation that is one third the size of Ireland and 4,242 kilometres away.

At least Israel attempts democracy, unlike the surrounding non-democratic nations that are decree-ruled by fascist dictators, or pudgy potentates in robes. Those countries’ leaders follow the tribal politics template; their harsh laws are expedited in a medieval manner. They lack human rights, despise religious minorities (such as Jews and Christians) and have innovative ways of dealing with queers and thea LGBTQ+ community – unlike Israel.

https://www.worlddata.info/country-comparison.php?country1=IRL&country2=ISR