Call for Govt to ban advertising of settlers' services

A Government MEP has said the coalition should “take another step” and “ban the advertising of services from illegal Israeli settlements” after Britain announced sanctions on goods from Israeli settlements.

Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews made the call and said the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended, as Government and Opposition parties clashed over whether Ireland has led or been overtaken on the situation in light of the development.

In a statement before a Renew Group MEPs meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron, Mr Andrews welcomed the decision by Britain and nine other nations – France, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden – to join Ireland and Spain in banning goods.

However, the Fianna Fáil MEP added that in his view it remains unacceptable that services are not included in the Government’s Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods Bill) 2026, saying this should now take place.

“Today’s announcement by several countries that they will follow the example of Ireland and Spain in banning goods from illegal Israeli settlements is overdue but very welcome.

“Countries like Germany and Italy are now clearly isolated in ignoring international law in the Middle East.

“It is also especially bitter that [European Commission] president [Ursula] von der Leyen has shown again an abject failure of leadership.

“I commend the Irish Government and would encourage them to take another step now and ban the advertising of services from illegal Israeli settlements, as Spain has done.

“However overall, as we know, Europe’s real leverage over Israel’s genocidal policies is the EU/Israel Association Agreement. Suspending that agreement must be our focus, before Palestine is wiped entirely from the map,” he said.

Mr Andrews’ comments came as Government and Opposition parties clashed over whether Government has led the measures against Israel due to the development of the legislation in this country, or if it has been overtaken by today’s moves.

In a statement, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Fine Gael TD Helen McEntee said today’s decisions follow “measures already taken by Ireland and Spain”.

More and more countries are committing to taking action on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. I welcome today’s announcement by the UK, France and a number of other countries, adding to the measures already taken by Ireland and Spain. pic.twitter.com/Kk741UCgDW

— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) September 8, 2026

She said: “More and more countries are committing to taking action on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

“I will continue to push for the EU to prohibit trade with settlements in line with its obligations under international law. We are working closely with our international partners to protect the two-state solution, which is the only realistic path to a peaceful settlement.”

However, both the Social Democrats and Labour disagreed with this view.

Social Democrats senator and foreign affairs spokesperson Patricia Stephenson said “the UK government’s announcement it will ban goods and some services” is in contrast to what she said was Government’s “watered-down version of the original Occupied Territories Bill”.

“The UK has previously been weak when it comes to taking Israel to task for its war crimes, so this hardening of their response is welcome.

“It is embarrassing, however, that the UK is prepared to go further than the Irish Government by including a ban on some services.

“The Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods Bill) 2026 was finally passed into law in July thanks to relentless pressure by Opposition politicians and campaigners,” she said.

“But it was a watered-down version of the original Occupied Territories Bill drafted by [Independent] senator Frances Black almost a decade ago and, unfortunately, only included a ban on goods but not services.”

Similarly, Labour TD and the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson Duncan Smith said the UK Government’s decision to ban trade in goods and some services from illegal Israeli settlements “should be a wake-up call for the Irish Government”.

“Ireland has rightly spoken up about Palestine and international law, but those words must now be matched by the strongest possible action.

“Labour has consistently argued that the Occupied Territories Bill must cover both goods and services. Government chose to exclude services despite calls from Labour, other opposition parties, and the recommendation of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Now the UK is preparing to go further than Ireland … If another major European economy can move to prohibit trade in goods and some services connected with illegal settlements, there is no credible reason for Ireland to settle for weaker legislation,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a statement this evening, Oxfam Ireland’s chief executive Jim Clarken welcomed today’s developments but said they were “long overdue”.

“The UK, France, Canada and other major trading partners of Israel have taken the principled step of putting economic pressure on Israel over its appalling human rights record in Palestine.

“The UK will now actually go further than Ireland in its action on trade with Israeli settlements.

“While the Irish Government disappointingly left out the trade of services in its Occupied Territories Bill, the UK will forge ahead and ban not only the trade in goods with illegal Israeli settlements, but also the advertising of tourism services, and the financing of settlements.

“The way forward for Ireland is clear: we must now revise the Occupied Territories Bill to include a full ban on services, and we must use all of our diplomatic efforts to push for an EU wide trade ban with Israeli settlements,” he said.

He added: “With Ireland’s remaining months of its EU presidency, we have a unique opportunity to push not only for a ban on trade with the illegal settlements, but for a suspension of Israel’s trading privileges with the EU under the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

“The people of Palestine deserve action, they deserve justice. The very least we can do is to try to uphold international law.”