The D\u00e1il should sit next week to fast-track the Occupied Territories Bill, according to Senator Patricia Stephenson.<\/p>\n
Senator Stephenson, who is the party\u2019s foreign affairs spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to see this bill enacted as a matter of urgency, even if this means recalling the D\u00e1il next week and delaying summer recess.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost six months into this government, we are only now seeing the T\u00e1naiste bringing a memo to Cabinet today on the drafting of a bill. Like the previous administration, this government has dragged its feet when it comes to progressing the Occupied Territories Bill, which was first proposed back in 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am also concerned that the bill currently being drafted will be a watered-down version of the original, only prohibiting the importation of goods \u2013 and not services \u2013 from illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cFormer minister Roderic O\u2019Gorman recently revealed that the last government never received advice from the Attorney General that the inclusion of services in the bill was legally problematic. Significantly, an open letter to the government, signed by more than 400 senior legal academics and lawyers, also stated there is no legal impediment to enacting the legislation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I believe the D\u00e1il should sit next week for pre-legislative scrutiny, which would allow the bill the progress to the final stages.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment condemnation of Israel\u2019s atrocities in Gaza is no longer enough \u2013 we need to see action now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland has an opportunity so show leadership by enacting the Occupied Territories Bill without further delay, in the hope that other countries will follow suit.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 27, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The D\u00e1il should sit next week to fast-track the Occupied Territories Bill, according to Senator Patricia Stephenson. Senator Stephenson, who is the party\u2019s foreign affairs spokesperson, said: \u201cWe need to see this bill enacted as a matter of urgency, even if this means recalling the D\u00e1il next week and delaying summer recess. \u201cAlmost six months […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[408,529,641,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foreign-affairs","category-gaza","category-patricia-stephenson","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n