Laois councillor gains support for 'occupied territories' motion
'We are complicit to allow Israel to break international law and commit genocide' - Cllr Aisling Moran
A Laois councillor has won support in her call on the Government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill.
Cllr Aisling Moran who represents the Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District, tabled her motion to the April meeting of Laois County Council.
It asks the Government to "act on their election promise and and enact the Occupied Territories Bill to immediately stop importing all products from Israel and to refuse all US military planes stopping in Ireland and using Irish airspace like other member states in the EU have done".
She made an impassioned speech asking for support, first asking why the Occupied Territories Bill is still not enacted in Ireland, a year and half since it was promised in the general election campaign.
"Ireland has always been at the forefront for human rights. Enacting the bill would demonstrate that Ireland can stand up to an oppressor. We are complicit to allow Israel to break international law and commit genocide."
She said that in 2024 Ireland was the second largest importer of Israeli goods in the world after the US, with the vast majority being telecoms equipment, circuits and aircraft equipment.
"Most of those goods can be sourced elsewhere. Why should evil world leaders be allowed to act as they please? History will remember and we need to be seen on the right side," Cllr Moran said.
She was seconded by Cllr Tommy Mulligan, who said he had worked with Palestinians while in the United Arab Emerites.
"Since 1948 Israel has been carrying out massacres. It amazes me how this is dismissed by the International community. There's no talk now of a two state solution. Gaza is destroyed, the West Bank is annexed, over 70,000 people killed, god knows how many more are buried under the rubble or tortured.
"Zero checks are carried out in Shannon Airport on US military planes. We are complicit in this genocide as long as we allow this to happen," he said.
Cllr Marie Tuohy said she also supports the motion.
"I find it heartbreaking to talk about. We wonder how Hitler was allowed, basically it's taking place again," she said.
A letter will be sent to the Government with the Laois request.
The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 is still before the Dáil. If passed, it will make it an offence for a person to trade with settlements illegally established in occupied territories.
However according to Trócaire, in 2025 it was "watered down" by the Government to only refer to trade of goods, not services which make up 70% of Irish Israeli trade. Trócaire says those services include "companies like Airbnb Ireland who shockingly provide tourism services to Israeli settlements on stolen Palestinian land".