An Irish government minister addressed the controversial bill aimed at restricting trade with West Bank settlements, saying the legislation would be limited in scope and apply solely to a ban on importing goods. The remarks marked the first official clarification of the law’s reach and included a rejection of claims that Ireland is antisemitic.
Among European Union members, Ireland is considered one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza. As the Irish government advances the settlement trade bill, it is facing pressure from both sides. On one hand, Irish activists are calling to expand the law to include a ban on services provided by companies operating in the settlements. On the other, Israel and the United States are demanding that the legislation be scrapped entirely.
Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s minister of state for European affairs and defense, told Reuters that the bill would be confined to imports of goods and would not take effect this year. “This is a very limited measure that will prohibit the import of goods from territories occupied in violation of international law,” he said. “Similar steps have already been taken in several European countries.”
Byrne’s comments offer insight into the Irish government’s approach as it seeks to withstand pressure, including from U.S. companies operating in Ireland, to soften its criticism of Israel. The legislation is expected to influence how other European countries shape similar measures targeting trade with settlements.
While the Irish government has signaled that the law will be implemented soon, it has yet to formally define its scope. Byrne declined to say when the bill would be submitted to parliament, noting that the government is still weighing its implications. “It is clearly not going to be implemented this year,” he said in the Reuters interview.
Earlier this year, Irish officials told Reuters that the government planned to dilute the bill and restrict it solely to limited trade in goods, such as dried fruit, while excluding services. Including services could have complicated matters for technology firms and other industries operating in Ireland that maintain business ties with Israel. Under the current draft, the law would affect imports from the West Bank totaling about 200,000 euros annually.
Frances Black, the lawmaker who proposed the bill, told Reuters she has no intention of dropping her demand that it also include a ban on services from companies operating in the territories. “It will take a lot of work in the new year, but that is exactly what I intend to do,” she said.
Byrne also defended the Irish government after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar recently released a video accusing it of antisemitism. Saar criticized Dublin over its delayed response to a proposal to rename a park currently called Chaim Herzog Park, named after Israel’s former president who grew up in the city. Irish ministers had criticized the Dublin City Council proposal, which was later withdrawn. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has described Ireland as a “cesspool of antisemitism.”
“I categorically reject the claim that the state is antisemitic in any way,” Byrne said. “We are deeply aware of the contribution of the Jewish people to Ireland.”
Relations between Ireland and Israel have been strained. Last December, Israel closed its embassy in Dublin amid a dispute over Irish criticism of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war and Ireland’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state. Barry Andrews, who represents Ireland in the European Parliament, addressed the criticism and urged Dublin to advance the settlement law. “The claims that Ireland is antisemitic are foolish,” he said. “Ireland has nothing to fear. We are no longer the only ones doing this.”
On Wednesday, Gabriel Makhlouf, governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, was forced to abandon a speech in Dublin after pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the event over the bank’s role in the sale of Israeli bonds.
First published: 12:15, 12.12.25