The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has today (17 July) called on the Oireachtas to reject business lobby scaremongering and pass the Occupied Territories Bill.
The Bill is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny with the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee. During a session yesterday, it was claimed that businesses would struggle to implement the legislation, particularly in relation to services.
This is despite similar legislation being in place for the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, banning trade in goods and services with Russian companies. Businesses are currently required to adhere to this legislation.
The Committee also heard about difficulty in distinguishing between trade from Israel and from illegal settlements. However, under EU law, Irish companies are already required to track services that are traded with Israel and the illegal settlements, and to distinguish between the two.
Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, commented:
“We cannot have a situation where the Occupied Territories Bill is held up by business lobby scaremongering. Many of the claims we heard yesterday were simply not based in fact, and wilfully ignored both Irish and international law.
“Similar legislation has been on the books, and required of businesses, for Ukraine since the Russian invasion of 2014. There is no difference regarding legislation for Israeli-occupied territory.
“Indeed, under the EU-Israel Free Trade Agreement, Irish companies are already required to distinguish between services from Israel and the illegally occupied territories.
“The Irish Government, the EU, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and the UN are all clear: the settlements are illegal under international law, and constitute a war crime. It should go without saying that companies should not be profiteering from war crimes.
“The legal and moral case for the Occupied Territories Bill is overwhelming. It is well past time that it was made law.”
ENDS
