Ireland is second.

In May 2025, the Irish Cabinet approved a revised version of the Occupied Territories Bill. This legislation would make it illegal to import goods from Israeli settlements built in occupied Palestinian territory. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris confirmed that the government would bring the bill forward to Oireachtas committees for further review. This is a crucial opportunity: if passed, Ireland would be the first Western country to take meaningful legislative action against Israel’s violations of international law.

However, the current government proposal only covers goods. It does not include services. This is not a small oversight. It is a serious gap that could undermine the entire purpose of the bill.

Source: What you need to know about the Occupied Territories Bill - Trocaire

Including Services Is Essential

• Over 70% of Ireland’s trade with Israel is in services, not goods. Excluding services means most economic ties to the settlements remain untouched.

• Airbnb Ireland lists and profits from properties in illegal Israeli settlements, promoting tourism that normalizes the occupation.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides cloud storage and AI tools used by the Israeli military for surveillance and airstrike operations in Gaza.

• Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure supply artificial intelligence and data processing services used by Israel's defense systems.

• These tech services support the infrastructure of war and occupation. Military officials have confirmed their direct operational use.

• The Central Bank of Ireland continues to approve Israeli bonds that fund military activity, showing how financial services also play a role.

If services are excluded, the bill may look strong but will have little practical effect. To be meaningful, it must reflect how modern occupation and warfare are supported: not just by goods, but by digital, tourism, and financial services.

Update: Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade publish report on Occupied Territories Bill.

The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade concluded its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Occupied Territories Bill in July 2025 and issued clear findings. The Committee strongly recommends that the Bill be progressed and that its scope be expanded to include services, not just goods, in order to comply with Ireland’s obligations under international law, including the 2024 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion. It further recommends renaming the legislation as the Illegal Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods & Services) Bill.

Report here.

What Needs to Happen

The Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs will be instrumental in shaping the final version of the bill. We need to urge them to resist any attempt to weaken it and to insist that services be fully included.

How You Can Help

• Contact our local TDs and ask them to support the Committee’s recommendations, especially the full ban on trade with illegal settlements across both goods and services. 

• Write to Simon Harris, Micheál Martin and Helen McEntee and call for the bill to include services in line with the Committee's recommendations.

• Raise awareness in your community and explain why services must not be left out.

• Share this message on social media and help build pressure for action

• Show up to relevant protests! IPSC website as info about these.