Brian Stanley: Ban Trade with Occupied Palestinian Territories
Brian Stanley urges parliament to ban all goods and services from the occupied Palestinian territories, arguing Ireland has a legal and moral duty to act now. He cites the International Court of Justice, legal opinions, and examples from other EU states to demand immediate measures and a push at EU level.
Main demand: Brian Stanley sets out a clear call for a ban on trade in goods and services originating in the occupied territories and for Ireland to use its forthcoming EU Presidency to press for similar measures at EU level and for the suspension of the Israeli-EU trade agreement.
Legal basis and accountability: He points to the International Court of Justice ruling and the opinion of more than 400 lawyers that Ireland can and is obliged to impose restrictions. He challenges the government to publish the Attorney General's advice and rejects the argument that banning services is legally impossible.
Comparisons and precedent: Stanley draws parallels with sanctions on Russia and the anti-apartheid boycott of South Africa, and notes that Spain and other EU states have already acted to restrict goods and services tied to the occupation.
Political consequence: He warns that continued delay amounts to a cop-out, argues public anger demands action, and calls for immediate legislative steps to ban trade with the occupied territories rather than more dithering from government ministers.
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As Comhairle, people up and down the country, and certainly people in County Leach, are infuriated with the war crimes carried out by Israel and what they've got away with, the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, the genocide and slaughter that we've witnessed on our television screens, evening after evening, the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian West Bank, the occupation of southern Lebanon and the massacre of Lebanese people, and their deliberate efforts to prevent any hope of a two-step solution. And then there's the Israeli torture and abuse of Palestinian prisoners, and much more, on the orders of the war criminals – because we're not a government – the war criminals that pose as an Israeli government. We have the power here, as supposedly a sovereign parliament, to take action. And all trade in goods and services to Israel, I believe, should be stopped. However, this bill is about the occupied territories. And we should ban all goods and services from the occupied territories. And there should be no dancing around that, no ifs or buts. We must also continue to demand and work with other EU states to cancel the EU preferential trade agreement. And anything less is a cop-out. 70% of trade between us and the occupied territories is in services. The EU and Ireland was quick to ban trade and to put sanctions on Russia, and rightly so. Yet, when it comes to Israel, all we hear is excuses. And worse, a lot of EU states are actually helping to sustain their war in terms of supplying them with arms and the material for arms. The International Court of Justice has decreed that not just can we do it, but that we are obliged to do it, that we're obliged, due to the war crimes being carried out. 400 plus prominent lawyers have stated that we can ban trade in goods and services with the occupied territories. But the government said, they're legal issues and it's complicated. And they referred to the Attorney General's advice to say banning of services would be impossible to implement and so on. Publish the Attorney General's advice. You should publish that. Spain has been able to impose a ban on goods and services and advertisement of services. Other EU states are taking similar steps. There's clear parallels here with the boycott against South Africa. And it may have been a small step at the time over in Henry Street, in Dunn Stores, but that snowballed and was huge in terms of isolating the apartheid regime. Trade with the occupied territories in Ireland may not amount to much. It won't amount to billions, but that's no excuse not to stop it. People are angry. People want action. There's massive support for penalties against Israel. It's time for action. We have had eight years of dithering. We can't have it any longer. Ban trade in goods and services and use the forthcoming EU Presidency to push for similar measures at EU level and work towards the full suspension of the Israeli-EU trade agreement.
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