Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said Ireland is moving ahead with legislation aimed at banning trade in goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
McEntee said the government hopes to pass the law by mid-July, in a move reflecting growing Irish criticism of Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories.
The Irish move comes despite strong opposition from the Israeli government, lawmakers in the US Congress and pressure from international business groups.
Ireland has been one of the leading European critics of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Since late 2024, Dublin has warned it could impose economic measures targeting settlements over continued settlement expansion.
The Irish foreign minister said the tougher approach was driven by what she described as the Israeli government’s lack of willingness to pursue a peaceful solution, pointing to a sharp rise in settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, she added.
The Irish Independent, an Irish daily newspaper, reported McEntee as saying that the recent escalation in settler violence in the occupied West Bank showed the Israeli government had “no desire” for a peaceful solution.
READ: Situation worsening in West Bank, warn Italy, UK, France, Germany
