Ireland passes bill banning goods from Israeloccupied settlements in West Bank and Jerusalem

The Irish parliament on Tuesday approved legislation to prohibit the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Named the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, the draft legislation aims to restrict goods originating from “certain Israeli settlements” that lie outside of Israel’s internationally recognised borders.

The proposed law states that it is designed to abide by Ireland’s “international legal obligation, as identified by the International Court of Justice [ICJ] in its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024”.

That refers to the ICJ finding upheld by the UN General Assembly, which described Israel’s rule of Palestinian territory outside of the 1967 borders as “unlawful” and obligated all nations to end complicity with the illegal occupation.

In keeping with this advice, the Irish government coalition endorsing the bill intends to “take steps to prevent trade relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. 

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Ireland has long been one of the strongest critics of Israel among European nations, having recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024, and was the first EU government to say that Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza.

This has led to backlash from Israel, with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responding by ordering the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin.

Popular support for Palestine

Last month, Ireland banned two right-wing Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who faced sanctions for “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities” in June.

Along with Spain, Ireland has led the way in pushing for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a cooperation deal signed in 1995 that forms the basis for trade ties with Israel. 

Ireland also joined Spain at an “emergency summit” in July 2025, co-hosted by Colombia and South Africa, to coordinate “concrete measures against Israel's violations of international law”.

Polls show that Ireland has some of the highest levels of support for Palestinians: 86 percent of the Irish population believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, while a majority (62 percent) think the EU should impose sanctions on Israel similar to those faced by Russia.

Ireland’s new president, Catherine Connolly, who won in a landslide victory in October 2025, has been an outspoken supporter of Palestine.

She said she was “very proud” of her sister, Dr Margaret Connolly, who was among six Irish citizens on the Global Sumud Flotilla detained by Israeli forces for attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in April.

But up until this point, the Irish government’s support for Palestine has remained largely symbolic rather than concrete.

Although Ireland was the first European Union country to propose this ban on Israeli settlement goods, Spain has already implemented an arms embargo against Israel and the prohibition of imports from the occupied Palestinian territories in September 2025.

However, experts pointed out that such a ban is only as strong as its weakest links: allowing for pre-existing contracts to be maintained and keeping certain exemptions in place could reduce such a measure to being purely rhetorical.

The Occupied Territories Bill was first introduced in 2018, but was blocked by the government at the time from coming into effect.

Ireland’s centre-right government coalition is now willing to accept a watered-down version of the original legislation which bans physical goods but leaves services unaffected, which comprise about 70 percent of Ireland’s trade with Israel.

Ireland has received pressure from the US political establishment, which contributed towards the weakening of the bill: New Jersey Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer wrote a letter to Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin in October 2025, warning that, by passing the legislation, “Ireland would risk causing significant damage to its own economic credibility and partnerships with American commerce”.

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