Irish Parliament Bans Import of Goods from Settlement Products in the West Bank and Jerusalem

SadaNews - The Irish parliament has approved a bill that prohibits the import of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

This legislation stipulates a ban on importing goods from "certain Israeli settlements," which are located outside the internationally recognized borders of Israel, and includes everything related to housing, agriculture, and trade.

While Ireland is the first EU member state to implement this ban, Spain began applying a package of restrictions on imports from Israeli settlements starting October.

The coalition government (center-right) stated that the drafting of the legislation was based on the advisory opinion issued in 2024 by the International Court of Justice, which deemed the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, illegal under international law.

Ireland has been at the forefront of critics of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, having recognized the state of Palestine in 2024. At that time, Israeli Foreign Minister "Gideon Sa'ar" ordered the closure of his country's embassy in Dublin, accusing it of adopting "extreme anti-Israel policies."

Last month, Dublin prevented the extreme right-wing Israeli National Security Minister "Itamar Ben Gvir" and the extreme right-wing Finance Minister "Bezalel Smotrich" from entering its territory, following their conduct towards activists of the "Global Solidarity Fleet."

Ireland has been calling for a review of the EU-Israel partnership agreement signed in 1995, which forms the basis for trade relations between the two sides.