Ireland passes law banning imports of goods from Israeli settlements

Ireland's Oireachtas has approved the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026, which will make it an offence to import goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The legislation, first proposed by Senator Frances Black in 2018, cleared both houses after debate in the Seanad and is now set to be signed by President Catherine Connolly. Foreign Minister Helen McEntee praised the bill, saying, “Today marks an important step in reaffirming Ireland’s commitment to international law, human rights and a just and lasting peace based on a negotiated two‑state solution.”

Critics, including NGOs such as Trócaire and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, argue the bill falls short because it bans only goods, leaving services – which account for the majority of trade with the settlements – untouched. The government said a services ban was legally complex and therefore omitted, a point that opposition politicians and civil‑society groups described as a “half‑measure.”