Ireland’s parliament on Tuesday approved legislation called The Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill banning the import of goods produced in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, marking one of the most far-reaching trade measures adopted by a European country.
The center-right coalition government said the legislation was drafted in response to the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which declared Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and Gaza illegal under international law.
The move follows months of criticism from Washington. In June, the U.S. State Department warned that the proposed legislation amounted to “unhelpful virtue-signaling” that “does not serve the cause of peace in the Middle East, help feed Gazans or work toward the outcomes Ireland says it seeks.”
AFSI Insight
AFSI condemns Ireland’s decision as a discriminatory political measure that singles out Jewish communities while ignoring territorial disputes and occupations elsewhere in the world. This bill is not a step toward peace but an endorsement of the anti-Israel boycott movement, rewarding efforts to delegitimize Israel rather than encouraging negotiations. AFSI maintains that Judea and Samaria are the heartland of Jewish history and that Jews have every legal and moral right to live there. AFSI warns that targeting Israeli businesses and families under the guise of international law risks fueling antisemitism, undermining democratic allies, and damaging Ireland’s own relationship with Israel and its Western partners.