Osprey Hotel in Naas hosts free event by Senator Frances Black calling on banning trade in goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank
Independent Senator Frances Black is coming to the Osprey Hotel in Naas, Kildare to speak about Palestine and her Occupied Territories Bill 2018. The bill seeks to ban trade in goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. It passed an historic first vote in July, and will return to Seanad Eireann for the next stage of voting in November.
The Occupied Territories Bill 2018 is proposed by Senator Black and supported by Fianna Fail, Labour, Sinn Fein, The Green Party, Social Democrats & several Independents. Only Fine Gael have opposed the bill. It passed an historic first vote in July, and returns to the Seanad in November.
Senator Black will outline why she has tabled the bill and why it’s so important. She will also speak about her visit to the West Bank and Gaza in May, where she met with community groups and activists working against the occupation, and saw first-hand the devastating human rights conditions on the ground. She returned to Ireland just days before the world was shocked by the brutal killing of over 100 protestors at the Gaza border.
The evening will also feature personal accounts from local members of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and political representatives. The event is hosted by Elaine Daly, who has organised almost 20 trips to the West Bank since 2006, ensuring that almost 500 predominantly Irish citizens have seen first-hand the impact of the ongoing Israeli occupation.
Israel has occupied the Palestinian 'West Bank' since 1967, and has since transferred over 600,000 of its citizens into illegal settlements in that territory. This has been facilitated by the confiscation of over 40% of available land, and severely reduced the land available for agriculture, housing and basic services. It has caused immense suffering and a deteriorating human rights situation on the ground, particularly due to restricted access to water and electricity.
The bill does not ban Israeli goods. It makes the same distinction as the EU, between (a) Israeli goods, which are unaffected by the bill, and (b) goods produced in illegal settlements beyond the borders recognised by the Irish government and international community.
- Products that have appeared on Irish shelves from the illegal settlements would include agricultural products such as dates, grapes, peppers, herbs, potatoes and citrus fruits, as well as cosmetic products from Ahava - Dead Sea Minerals.
- The Irish Government have repeatedly stated that: “Ireland and its EU Partners have a clear position on Israeli settlements. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights are territories which have been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible.”
- In 2012, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs unanimously called for such a ban, on the basis that it "could have a strong and effective impact on suffering in the region". Tanaiste Simon Coveney told the Dail that he is “open to considering in principle” an EU-level ban but outlined the “inescapable fact that there is no such prospect” of EU agreement at present.
The talk takes place at the Osprey Hotel on Monday 5th November, 7.30pm. There is no entry fee and all are welcome.