Ireland bans settlement goods as global pressure rises
Ireland has officially prohibited imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. The move aligns with growing international condemnation of settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee TD today marked the commencement of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Act, fulfilling a key Programme for Government commitment. From today, importing goods originating in Israeli settlements constitutes an offence under section 14 of the Customs Act 2015, as the Act entered into full legal force.
Speaking at the launch, Minister McEntee emphasised Ireland’s leadership in this area, noting that the State became the first EU country to announce such measures alongside Spain. She highlighted recent coordinated actions by the UK, France, and Canada as further evidence of escalating global pressure on settlement expansion, which remains illegal under international law.
The Minister also underscored the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, citing unprecedented settlement activity and rising settler violence amid perceived impunity. She reiterated Ireland’s call for an EU-wide prohibition on trade with Israeli settlements, urging the European Commission to advance proposals under the EU’s Common Commercial Policy to reinforce the viability of a two-State solution and uphold international legal obligations.