The situation in Gaza is apocalyptic. With the UN Security Council deadlocked by US vetoes the death toll in Gaza continues to rise.
We need real action but the Irish government is blocking the Occupied Territories Bill. This bill would make it illegal to import or sell goods produced by illegal settlers on occupied land.
Ireland has a proud history of boycotting. The word Boycott actually originated in Co. Mayo in 1880. Over a hundred years later, in the 1980s, Dunnes Stores workers refused to handle goods which came from apartheid South Africa. This later evolved into official government policy and contributed to the financial isolation of the apartheid South African regime.
In 2018, Senator Frances Black brought the Occupied Territories Bill forward to stop trade between Ireland and illegally occupied lands.
This Bill passed through the Seanad and received large support in the Dáil but since 2020 is being blocked by the government by way of a “Money Message“.
If the U.S. are going to continue to block U.N. calls for a ceasefire, then it’s up to the rest of the international community to put pressure on Israel.
2024 is an election year in Ireland. It’s clear that Irish people have a strong sense of solidarity with the people of Palestine. We need to call, meet with and email Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, to stop blocking the Occupied Territories Bill.