We call on the Oireachtas to pass the Occupied Territories Bill.
If enacted, the OTB will prohibit the importation into Ireland of goods and services from settlements illegally established on occupied territories. This includes Israel’s ever-expanding settlements in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory.
On 15th September, representatives of the 43 member organisations and groups of the Campaign to Pass the Occupied Territories Bill came together outside Leinster House to remind Government of their commitment and to demand the Bill is brought before before the Dáil without any further delay. Read more.
Latest updates
Report on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Occupied Territories Bill
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence completed its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Government’s General Scheme of the Bill. The Committee unanimously recommended that the legislation should ban both goods and services from illegal settlements. Read more.
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Letter to the Tánaiste
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission wrote to the Tánaiste urging the Government to introduce the Bill, confirming that it is legally possible under EU law. Read more.
400 Legal Academics and Lawyers Call on Government to Enact the Occupied Territories Bill
In a public statement covered by The Journal, more than 400 legal academics and practitioners called on the Government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill without delay. Read more.
Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Report Published
The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade has scrutinised the Occupied Territories Bill. Explore the role of the campaign, view the debates and read the final report now.
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newly published Legal Opinion
The Irish government has opposed the OTB based on advice of the Attorney General that only the EU can ban trade with illegal settlements. In a newly published legal opinion, two leading experts on EU law have stated that Ireland is fully entitled to pass the Occupied Territories Bill, criticising the Attorney General’s advice as "erroneous" and "at odds with settled EU case law"
The experts state that: "It is striking that the AG should have ignored the judgements in [two cases] where the European Court of Justice expressly held that Member States may deviate from EU law, including… on public policy grounds in order to protect fundamental rights... The analysis and conclusion in the AG Opinion that the Occupied Territories Bill is inconsistent with EU law [is] not only unconvincing but also at odds with settled ECJ case law.”
The ‘Pass the Occupied Territories Campaign’ is a collective campaign endorsed by civil society groups committed to the enactment of the OTB.
a collective campaign
Image Credit: Eva Crowley, Daryl Feehely.
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