Joe O'Reilly addresses the Dáil on proposed legislation to bar goods from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, urging Irish leadership in Europe. He frames the bill as a moral and legal response to settlement expansion and as solidarity with Palestinian victims.
Opening summary
Joe O'Reilly welcomes the Minister and praises Senator Frances Black, stressing his own work as a special rapporteur for Palestinian women and children. He calls for unity in Ireland's stance on Palestine even as parliamentarians debate details of the bill.
Humanitarian context
O'Reilly references the humanitarian crisis in Gaza - noting in the speech that in excess of 73 000 people have been killed, with widespread injury, malnutrition, displacement and disrupted schooling - and situates the settlements issue within that broader emergency.
Settlements and international law
He describes the settlements as clearly illegal under international law, expanding, restricting Palestinian access to land and resources, and contributing to settler violence, displacement and threats to a two-state solution.
Trade, law and European leadership
The core of the speech argues the bill would send a clear message that goods produced in illegal settlements should not benefit from trade with Ireland. O'Reilly says passing the bill would strengthen Ireland's moral authority, encourage other EU states to act and shape Commission proposals, while noting legal complexities around services and Attorney General advice.
Conclusion and solidarity
O'Reilly frames the legislation as part of a continuum of Irish action - recognition of Palestine, co-sponsorship at the ICJ and strong public statements - presenting the bill as another act of solidarity with the victims of settlements and as leadership within Europe.
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Thank you Cathaoirleach. At the outset can I welcome you Minister to the House and thank you for your leadership role in this area and indeed in your commitment in your opening remarks to go on pushing at European level to get a consensus on real action on the trade agreement and on individual sanctions. As someone who has had a consistent and indeed a consistent and special interest in this question over years I want to applaud Senator Frances Black for her role here and her pioneering work in this area and I think that goes without saying. I also want to say that I come from this myself as a special rapporteur for Palestinian women and children for the Council of Europe so I have more than a passing interest here and I think an important point that should be made here is that we will differ about the content of the bill, we will differ about elements of it but we should maintain a collective pride as a country in our strong stance as a nation on the Palestinian question. We recognise the state of Palestine, we were consistent in our public criticism of the genocide there in Gaza, we took a strong position at the UN, we were co-sponsors at the ICJ and laterally were giving leadership at EU level and in the midst of our reasonable democratic discussion about and disagreement around this legislation let's maintain that unity and that pride in that leadership position of the country. Today is about the occupied territories but let me make a passing reference to the horror that is Gaza. It is a second stage speech. In excess of 73 000 people have been killed, horrific injuries, malnutrition, starvation, displacement from homes and no schooling of children effectively or very threatened schooling of children. Now to turn to what is the issue today, the illegal settlements. In international law they're clearly illegal and they are expanding and they cause restricted access to land, resources for Palestinians, there's settler violence, Palestinian families continue to face displacement, growing insecurity and of course the nature of the settlements, their topography or whatever the word is, the dispersed nature is threatening the potential for a two-state solution. This bill matters at its most basic level in that it seeks to give, it sends a clear message that goods produced in the illegal settlements will not benefit from trade with Ireland, similar to apartheid South Africa in the past. More importantly it shows leadership in Europe. As the Minister says, the Commission is coming up with proposals and this exercise by us and please God we'll finish it before the summer, will make a difference in leading the European effort. We are winning support for suspension of trade. The number of countries who have come on side over recent months is of course because of the atrocities but also the Irish position. Transnational, the difficulty presented here with services is the transnational nature of services, the intangible nature of the digital element, the cross-border element and the AG's advice that we can't as an individual state take a unique position. Now that's the government position on it and that's what presents the difficulty with the services. But the passing of the bill in itself will be a leadership position for the directors to take. It will enhance our moral authority in Europe, it will give leadership to other European countries and it is at its most fundamental level coupled with our previous action on recognising Palestine, on joining the ICJ case, on strong public statements, it is another act of solidarity with the victims of these illegal settlements. Thank you.
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