Ireland's lower house of parliament passed legislation on Tuesday banning the import of goods from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, making it one of the first countries to enact such a trade prohibition. The bill cleared its final stages in the Dáil without a vote and is expected to be sent to the Seanad next week before being signed into law.
Opposition amendments to extend the ban to services were voted down, with the government arguing legal advice warned that including services would expose the legislation to significant risk of appeal. Minister Neale Richmond said the bill would be commenced immediately once enacted.
The legislation is designed to be consistent with an International Court of Justice advisory opinion from July 2024 and replaces the Occupied Territories Bill originally drafted by Senator Frances Black in 2018.