Shay Brennan: Bill amounts to a boycott targeting Jews, he warns
Shay Brennan challenged Mr. Shatter over remarks that a proposed bill is the first European initiative to boycott or discriminate against Jews. He argued the bill's definition of "Israeli settlements" effectively targets locations where Jewish people live and therefore constitutes an anti-Semitic prohibition on purchases from those areas.
Main allegation
Brennan pressed Mr. Shatter for evidence that the Irish government's intent is consciously anti-Semitic rather than an expression of solidarity with Palestinians. He based his challenge on the bill's provisions and the wording in its definition section.
Bill definition and geographic scope
He pointed to the bill's definition reference to "Israeli settlements" - described in the transcript as city, village or industrial zone located in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, with postal codes prescribed by order. Brennan said that reference is a legal euphemism for locations in East Jerusalem and the West Bank where Jewish people live, and noted Gaza was also referenced despite no Jewish residents there since 2005.
Allegation of discriminatory effect
Brennan argued that by singling out those locations the bill would prohibit purchasing goods from areas where Jewish people reside, which he characterised as anti-Semitic. He contrasted the measure with the absence of comparable legislation for other disputed territories mentioned in the exchange, saying no similar law had been produced in relation to Northern Cyprus or Tibet.
Historical comparison and severity of charge
He asserted the bill is "the first boycott Jews' bill published by any European government since 1945" and said it "replicates the type of legislation that it was initiated in 1930s Germany," framing his criticism in strong historical terms.
Mr Shatterfield's reply on the wider conflict
In response, Mr Shatterfield disputed the depiction of events, describing an armed invasion by what he called the government of Gaza and citing the continued retention of hostages. He said, if in government, he would call in the Iranian ambassador and demand Iran direct Hamas to end the conflict, release the hostages, decommission weapons and announce an end to the war to give peace a real chance.
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Mr. Shatter, you made some concerning statements in your opening remarks. One notably is, and I'll quote it, the bill is the first initiative of any European government to enact legislation to intentionally boycott or discriminate against Jews. There are some other comments similar to that in that similar vein. What solid evidence can you point to that demonstrates that the Irish government's intent is consciously anti-Semitic rather than an expression of solidarity with Palestinians in their time of oppression? Simply, Deputy, the provisions of the bill. If you look at the definition section of the bill, the definition section references Israeli settlements, meaning the city, village or industrial zone located in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, the postal code of which is prescribed by order made, etc. The Israeli settlement reference is just a legal euphemism for saying locations in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and, oddly, Gaza, where there's been no Jewish person living since 2005, but locations in, say, East Jerusalem or the West Bank where Jewish people live. I mean, it's as straightforward as that. But the oddity of the bill, and I always think Jerusalem is a classical, simple way to illustrate this, because the oddity of the bill is if a tourist visiting the holy city of Jerusalem… Chairman, maybe I could interrupt there if you don't mind. I'm just conscious of time on it. So you're saying the Irish government is anti-Semitic in this case? No, I'm saying… No, what I'm saying is the Israeli settlement is synonymous with locations where Jewish people reside, and, ergo, this bill is prohibiting the purchase of goods from those locations, and that of itself is anti-Semitic. Why do you believe the Irish government is anti-Semitic? Because they've produced a bill which simply targets Jews living in, quote, occupied territory. We could argue whether it is lawfully or not lawfully occupied. No such legislation has been produced in relation to Northern Cyprus, where Turks live, in relation to Tibet, which is child occupied. If you don't mind. So you're saying that because they produced the bill, they're anti-Semitic. In your opinion, have they any other motives to be anti-Semitic? I'm saying whether they're intentionally or inadvertently producing legislation that's anti-Semitic, it is the first boycott Jews' bill published by any European government since 1945, and it replicates the type of legislation that it was initiated in 1930s Germany. Thank you. We'll move on. Mr Shatterfield, if you're in government, which is not entirely hypothetical, as you've clearly been a minister before and also recently an all-election candidate, how would you deter the Israeli government from continuing its genocide and starvation of Palestinian families, including their children? I would deal with it entirely differently. Firstly, your depiction of what's happening is inaccurate. There's currently a war taking place between what was the government of Gaza and Israel, the government of Gaza having invaded Israel and committed terrible atrocities. There's only one reason this conflict is continuing. It's because to this day, Hamas continues to retain hostages it abducted 646 days ago, 20 of whom are still alive, who are not allowed access to the Red Cross, 30 are apparently deceased, and their remains won't be released. And if I was in government, well, I would do three things. The first thing I'd do is I'd call in the Iranian ambassador, and I'd demand he goes back to Tehran, and ask that the Iranian government direct Hamas, which is a proxy of the Iranian government, to end the conflict, release the hostages, and to do exactly what the IRA did, which is decommission their weapons and announce the war is over, for the sake of the Palestinian people and the Israeli people to give peace a real chance and a permanent solution, a real chance. Thank you, Mr. Shatter, we'll move on to...
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