Irish minister defends 'limited' trade curbs on Israeli settlements |
By John O'Donnell and Padraic Halpin
DUBLIN, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Ireland’s planned curbs on trade with Israeli settlements will be limited strictly to goods, a minister told Reuters, offering the first clear signal on the scope of the contested legislation and rejecting accusations that the country is antisemitic.
Ireland has been preparing a law to curb trade with settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, facing pressure at home to widen the scope of the ban from goods to services, while Israel and the United States want the bill scrapped.
Ireland has been one of the European Union's most outspoken critics of Israel's assault in Gaza, which authorities in the Palestinian enclave say has killed more than 67,000 people.
'EXTREMELY LIMITED MEASURE', SAYS MINISTER
But Thomas Byrne, Ireland's Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, told Reuters that the bill is limited to the import of goods and that it would not become law this year.
"It's an extremely limited measure, which would prohibit imports of goods from illegally-occupied territories," he said in an interview. "Similar measures have already been brought in in a number of European........