Brian Stanley demands immediate action on Occupied Territories Bill
Brian Stanley criticised the government's delay in advancing the Occupied Territories Bill and called for it to be prioritised immediately. He cited an International Court of Justice obligation to ban trade from occupied territories, highlighted expanding illegal settlements and urged a phase two peace plan for Gaza.
Main demand
Brian Stanley pressed the Government to bring the Occupied Territories Bill forward after eight years of delay and to stop "dancing around this," saying the measure must be prioritised to respond to ongoing violence and legal obligations.
Settlements and reported violence
He said there are 160 illegal settlements in the West Bank, 69 of them in force since 2022, and that recent weeks have seen 19 new ones announced. He described Palestinian homes, farms and businesses as bulldozed and destroyed and cited figures that 700,000 Israelis live on illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land and that over 700 people have been murdered in the West Bank in the last two years.
Legal questions and government response
Stanley referred to the Programme for Government and the International Court of Justice finding that the Government has an obligation to ban trade in goods from occupied territories. He noted the Government previously put forward a proposal eight years ago which he described as constitutionally inadequate, and said the Attorney General has recently provided legal opinion identifying significant implementation issues. He also quoted the minister speaking abroad who said she was not going to rush into something, and responded to claims that the "eight years" figure was disingenuous.
Peace process and Gaza priorities
He warned that continued settlement expansion would make a two-state solution unviable and urged moving to phase two of the peace process in Gaza. Stanley called for a sustainable transitional force in Gaza, decommissioning and proper reconstruction as part of a pathway to lasting peace.
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in the Programme for Government regarding the Occupy Territories Bill. It was published eight years ago. The International Court of Justice said that the Government have an obligation to ban all trade on goods from occupied territories, and you admit that in the Programme for Government, which I read this morning. There are 160 illegal settlements in the West Bank, 69 of them in force since 2022. In recent weeks, the Israeli Government have announced 19 new ones. Palestinian homes, farms and businesses have been bulldozed and destroyed. 700,000 Israelis live on illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. Israeli settlers and defence forces, terrorists, have murdered over 700 people in the West Bank in the last two years. When will the Government stop dancing around this and bring the OTB forward and get it through the Eroctis? Minister McEntee speaking yesterday in Egypt said that she's not going to rush into something. Now, for God's sake, eight years, eight years, we're still waiting for this. This needs to be prioritised. People are being murdered in Palestine by terrorists, and we need to help them. Could I first of all say it's not eight years? That's a bit disingenuous, but I understand where you're coming from. But the Government hasn't introduced a bit eight years ago. What was put forward is wholly inadequate in terms of its constitutionality, etc., etc. We won't go back over all of that. But what I want to say to you is, yes, what's going on in terms of the settlements is wrong, because it will render unviable or non-viable the whole prospect of a two-state solution, which, in our view, is the only sustainable way for peace in the Middle East and peace between Palestinians and Israel. And I really decry the continuing expansion of settlements in the West Bank. And in our view, we need to move on to phase two of the peace process in Gaza and to get a sustainable transitional force in there, to have decommissioning, to have proper reconstruction of Gaza. We have received legal opinion from the Attorney General recently in respect of the Occupied Territories Bill. There are significant implementation issues, by the way. Thank you, Tisha. This will not stop anything in terms of the Israeli policies of expansion of settlements. We just need to be clear about that as well. Deputy Michael Collins.
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