Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade

General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed)

2:00 am

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes, except that in the midst of some the discussion today, there is a distinction to be made. This legislation foresees, if someone is engaged in such trade, that they would potentially face sanction. It is not necessarily the same as tax law or such matters. However, to some extent there is a conflation between whether something can be legislated for and how difficult it will be to prove a breach of that law. Many items on our criminal law statute books are difficult to prove at times. That is not the same thing. To some extent the point Mr. O'Brien is making is that it is difficult to ascertain for services. That does not mean that legally the EU or Ireland treat it differently or that it would not be possible to legislate for it. Is that not fair to say?

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