World
Ireland passes bill banning Israeli goods made in East Jerusalem and West Bank
Ireland’s parliament on Tuesday approved legislation banning imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jewish areas of East Jerusalem, as Dublin pressed ahead with one of Europe’s most far-reaching trade measures over Israel’s control of those regions.
The Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) bill prohibits the import of goods from “certain Israeli settlements.”
Those include residential, agricultural and business interests that lie outside Israel’s internationally recognized borders.
While Ireland was the first European Union country to propose such a ban, Spain already implemented a package of import restrictions last October.
The center-right coalition government that drafted the legislation has said its wording was guided by an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024.
The ICJ said Israel’s presence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip was an illegal occupation under international law.
Most of the international community considers all Israeli settlements illegal under international law, while Israel claims Jewish historical ties to the regions.
Israel has controlled the West Bank since capturing the territory from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War. Israel annexed East Jerusalem — a move not recognized by most of the international community — while the West Bank has remained under varying forms of Israeli military and civil rule ever since.
Ireland has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s military campaign against terror groups in Gaza in the wake of the deadly October 2023 Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel that triggered the war. It recognized a Palestinian state in 2024.
Soon after, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ordered the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin, blaming Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.”
Last month, Dublin banned far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, slamming their behavior toward pro-Palestinian activists.
Dublin has also long pushed for a review of the European Union’s EU-Israel Association Agreement, a cooperation deal signed in 1995 that forms the basis for trade ties with Israel.
The bloc said last month it would examine options to restrict trade with Israeli settlements. But there remains no consensus among the bloc’s member states to take further steps against Israel.
Ireland’s import ban would be symbolic and of minimal economic impact, as trade volumes with the territories — limited to goods such as fruit, vegetables and timber — were worth less than one million euros ($1.1 million) between 2020 and 2024.
Opposition politicians in Dublin criticized the bill, which now moves to the upper house for final approval, for not going far enough by leaving out trade in services.
The government has argued that a ban on the trade of services is more complex than goods and the bill needs to be legally watertight before it is enacted.
