Trade Sanctions

Thursday, 21 May 2026

Questions (58, 69)

Erin McGreehan

Question:

58. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action she is taking at EU level to sanction Israel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37943/26]

View answer

Paul Murphy

Question:

69. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will impose sanctions on the state of Israel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38329/26]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 69 together.

Ireland is deeply concerned by the sharply deteriorating situation in the West Bank, in particular the massive expansion of settlements and rampant and escalating settler violence, which continues in an atmosphere of impunity. In recent weeks, the Israeli Security Cabinet has approved 34 new West Bank settlements. This is the largest number of settlements approved by any government at one time. The E1 settlement near Jerusalem threatens to cut the West Bank in half, calling into question the viability of the two-State solution.

I have also condemned the law passed by the Israeli parliament to expand the scope of the death penalty and revive its implementation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. Ireland is particularly concerned about the discriminatory nature of the Bill as it relates to Palestinians.

A key pillar of Ireland’s foreign policy is our strong commitment to international law and our promotion of respect for international law. Israeli actions consistently contravene international law and are part of an established pattern to create a new status quo in Palestine.

At the EU level, the Government has been vocal in its support for sanctions against violent settlers and those who enable them. Ireland has strongly supported the sanctions adopted by the EU against both individuals and entities involved in settler violence.

I welcome the political agreement at the May Foreign Affairs Council last week on a package of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers and entities, as well as leading Hamas figures, under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. This is an important step.

At the same meeting, I again called on the EU to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, or at a minimum to suspend the trade elements of the Agreement as previously proposed by the European Commission.

Ireland also requested that the Commission bring forward a proposal to prohibit trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory on the basis of the EU’s Common Commercial Policy, for decision at the June Foreign Affairs Council. A ban on trade with settlements at the EU level would have a significant impact and is necessary to ensure that the EU is compliant with its obligations under international law, as clarified by the July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice. The Government will continue to press for this step, working with like-minded partners in the EU.

Political and economic security in the West Bank is central to its stability and to the security of the wider region, as well as being an essential component to the viability of the two-State solution. Ireland stands ready to play our part in working towards a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians through the implementation of the two-State solution. Together with many of my EU counterparts, I have stressed the need to ensure that the concept of a two-State solution resulting in a viable, contiguous Palestinian State in Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, remains front and centre in the EU's approach, and that a durable peace plan is conducive to its implementation.

Question No. 59 answered with Question No. 41.

Question No. 60 answered with Question No. 29.