Skip to main content

Why Irish sanctions on settlement products don't scare Israel

An Irish parliament decision to advance sanctions legislation against imported settlement products has minimal economic consequences, but one would not know that based on the response of the Israeli government.
RTX6A7JG.jpg
Read in 

The Irish Senate on July 11 advanced sanctions legislation on goods produced in Israeli West Bank settlements. Were it not for the grim state of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the plumes of smoke and fire billowing over the Israeli south sparked by incendiary kites and balloons released from Gaza, the Palestinian reaction and Israeli protest concerning the decision would have been laughable.

Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the PLO, described the Senate initiative to criminalize the import of goods made in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as a “courageous historic gesture that sends a clear message and points the way forward for the European Union.” For now, however, there is no indication, opaque or clouded, that other EU member states will follow suit. There is also no guarantee that the proposed law, opposed by the Irish government, will complete the legislative process and become law.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.