Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Harris announced that his government seeks to obtain a formal decision to suspend trade ties with Israeli firms in the Palestinian territories, according to Financial Times.
Occupied Territories Bill
Harris stated in a post on X that Irish government is pushing forward a bill, known as the Occupied Territories Bill, next Tuesday, to halt relations with Israeli companies.
He further expressed his hope that the Committee on Foreign Affairs would begin reviewing the bill in June.
Strong Condemnation
In this context, Harris also condemned Israel’s devastating war in Gaza and its blockade of humanitarian aid since March. He also accused Israel of using food as a weapon of war against Palestinian civilians.
“The world has to act, and the world has not done nearly enough,” He added.
Apart from this, Harris welcomed and supported the EU’s recent remarkable move to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
However, he noted that the review alone would not make a significant impact. Therefore, “It needs to be more than reviewed. It needs to be suspended because it cannot be business as usual whilst this is being carried out in Gaza.”
Significant Report
In February, The Guardian Newspaper indicated that major tourism platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com are advertising more than 700 rooms in hotels, apartments and other holiday rentals located in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
This report has even sparked more criticism among human rights organizations against Israeli firms in these settlements.
Mounting Pressure
By taking a step to cut ties with Israeli companies, Ireland joins growing international pressure on Israel as a result to the expansion of its military operations in Gaza and its aid blockade.
Since the beginning of Hamas-Israel War in Gaza in 2023, the Israeli strikes have killed more than 53,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 118,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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