Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 May 2023
104. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the additional measures he intends to take to ensure that no products from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine are imported into Ireland, irrespective of labelling, in order to guarantee that Ireland is not contributing to gross human rights abuses of Palestinians; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25451/23]
View answerIreland’s position on the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory informs our engagement with the State of Israel across a range of bilateral issues, including trade and economic issues, and will continue to do so. The EU and its Member States, including Ireland, are wholly opposed to Israeli settlements, which are contrary to international law, and are damaging to the prospects of peace.
I welcome that the EU’s overriding position that all agreements between the State of Israel and the EU must unequivocally and explicitly indicate their inapplicability to the territory occupied by Israel in 1967. This was reiterated at the highest level at the EU-Israel Association Council in October 2022.
With regard to imported products, EU law and guidelines on goods from settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory clearly differentiate between settlements on the one hand, and Israel, on the other. As such, they are an important part of the EU contribution to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Ireland will maintain its vigilance to ensure full implementation of these laws and guidelines.
