.
The General Scheme of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods = the acronym PIGS) Bill has already been approved by the Government, but will now pass on to the Oireachtas (ER: IrishParliament) Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny.

According to the statement, the Irish government’s commitment to the prohibition on imports from Israeli settlements came after the International Court of Justice delivered its Advisory Opinion on July 19, 2024.
.
As soon as the scheme is implemented, any imports will become an offence under the Customs Act 2015, and customs will be able to search, seize, and confiscate the goods. Harris added that the scheme intended to use the Israeli settlement postal code system currently employed by the EU in order to differentiate Israeli goods from settlement goods.
.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this Government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
.
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-State solution. This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.
.
Harris added that he is yet to see an “adequate response at EU level” regarding imports from settlements following the ICJ’s 2024 Advisory Opinion.
.

“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level …

…

Irish lawyer Alan Shatter, who previously served as Justice and Equality Minister and Defense Minister, lambasted Harris on X.
“Only Simon Harris and our current government could be so foolish as to create the acronym PIGS to reference a new law that targets & boycotts Jewish-produced goods.”
.
Shatter remarked that this is the first time since the defeat of Nazi Germany that any European government has promoted a law to specifically boycott Jewish produced goods and criminalize those who import them.
.
“The fundamental flaws and violations of EU law with which the Bill is riddled best explain the new acronym. Put simply the Bill fundamentally violates EU law and is not legally kosher,” he said. (ER: Seriously?)
.

ICJ’s Advisory Opinion

The ICJ’s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 declared that Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are contrary to the sixth paragraph of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and therefore illegal.

As a result, it advised all nation states to “take concrete and effective measures” including “refraining from any unconditional financial, economic, military or technological aid to the State of Israel, and punishing such violations where appropriate and in accordance with the relevant treaties to which they are parties.”
…

CONTINUE READING HERE

Featured image, protest: People hold a banner with images of Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence Simon Harris and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza, in Dublin, Ireland, May 17, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/CLODAGH KILCOYNE)

************