EU action on Israel is ‘overdue’, says Simon Harris
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
Collective European Union action against Israel is “long overdue”, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said.
Simon Harris, who is also the Minister for Foreign Affairs, said there are “clear, concrete measures the EU can take”.
He was responding to an RTÉ News report that 206 former European ambassadors and officials had signed a letter calling on the EU to step up action against Israel over a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Describing the letter as a “vital, unprecedented intervention”, Mr Harris added: “If we don’t take collective action now against the backdrop of famine, when will we?
“Collective EU action could make a powerful difference.”
In a series of social media posts, he added: “In the absence of collective action, groups of members states should seek to work together but this would not be as impactful or effective and be a indictment on our ability to act as a collective at a time when the EU itself has found Israel in breach of the Association Agreement.
“EU Foreign Ministers meet in Copenhagen this week and I look forward to discussing this directly with counterparts.”
Domestically, the Government has been accused of an “absolute refusal to hold Israel accountable for a genocide”.
The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign has organised a series of demonstrations, with a protest scheduled for Tuesday evening around the Central Bank of Ireland’s role in approving Israel Bonds for sale in the EU.
The bank is the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israel Bonds in the EU, and has determined the securities meet the standards of the bloc’s prospectus regulations.
Israel bonds have been advertised as supporting the country’s economy and, more recently, websites promoting the securities emphasise their role in supporting Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Protesters and opposition parties have called for legislation that would give Ireland the power to refuse the sale of Israeli “war bonds” over human rights concerns.
They say the bonds are intended to fund the war in Gaza, while Ireland has an obligation under the Genocide Convention to use all means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide.
The Central Bank has said regulations require it to approve prospectuses that meet standards of completeness, consistency and comprehensibility.
The Israel bond prospectus is up for renewal on September 2nd.
Meanwhile, activists have also called on the Government to pass the Occupied Territories Bill and include services within the legislation.
Ireland’s coalition of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and a group of independents committed to passing a ban on goods from the occupied Palestinian territories in its programme for government completed in January.
However, a cross-party committee recommended the prohibition of imports from the Palestinian Occupied Territories should be extended to include trade in services.