Labour calls on Government to pass Occupied Territories Bill before election

LABOUR LEADER IVANA Bacik has today called on the Government to pass the Occupied Territories Bill before the election.

 It is now widely expected that the Taoiseach will dissolve the Dáil next Thursday. 

Bacik said her party would be willing to facilitate the required legislative steps that are needed to make this happen, stressing that it is possible to do so before the country goes to the polls.

Yesterday, Tánaiste Micheál Martin formally requested that a government-imposed block on the bill, known as the ‘money message’ be removed, allowing the legislation to pass to committee stage. 

Speaking at the launch of the Labour Party’s childcare policy today, Bacik welcomed the progress on the bill and said Labour members in the Dáil and Seanad are willing to facilitate any parliamentary sittings required to pass the bill. 

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Last week, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said the government’s failure to progress the legislation until now was “extremely cynical” ahead of an election.

Bacik rejected this notion today, arguing that it is important that progress is now being made. She added however, that the money message obstacle should not have been imposed by the Government in the first place. 

“We certainly accept that the ICJ opinion has made a huge difference and we’re glad to see the bill will now be progressed to committee stage next week, but what I’ve sought in the Dáil is a firm commitment from government that the bill will not only proceed to committee stage next week but that it will also conclude through report stage in the Dáil before the Dáil is dissolved and can then be passed,” the Labour leader said. 

“It can be done before the Dáil is dissolved. We are calling on government to do that before the Dáil is dissolved,” she said. 

The bill was first brought forward by independent senator Frances Black in 2018.

It seeks to prevent Ireland from trading in goods and services imported from illegally occupied territories anywhere in the world, which would include the occupied territories in Palestine.

In recent weeks, the Government has been seriously considering enacting the bill in light of a recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion that stated the settlements in Palestine by Israel were illegal.

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