Fine Gael TD for Wicklow Wexford, Brian Brennan spoke in support of progressing the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Bill 2025 in a heated debate in the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday….
Addressing comments by former Minister Alan Shatter who dismissed the bill as “performance politics”, Brennan outlined the response he had received from NGO’s on the ground.
Ireland’s 2025 “Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill” bans the import of goods originating from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories (including East Jerusalem), criminalising them under the Customs Act. It excludes services, follows an ICJ advisory opinion, and is now under pre-legislative scrutiny in the Oireachtas.
In the debate, Wicklow-WexfordTD Brennan stated:
“I am not sure what you did last weekend Mr Shatter, but I got on a plane and I went to Cairo and I went to meet the people on the coalface. I went on my own, there was no media circus, I went in a personal capacity and I paid my own way.
I met the NGO’s that are on the coalface. These are hardened NGO’s – they have been all over the world. They have seen catastrophic scenes. But what is going on in Gaza is simply on a different scale.
“I went and I sat on a bed with a young man that was in the prime of his life and he has two months to live, because of what’s happening in Gaza.
“I played football with teenage kids who are orphans, because of what’s happening in Gaza.
“I held the hand of a two year old child that had bullet wounds because of what’s happening in Gaza.
In the heated deabte, Fine Gael TD and businessnan Brennan continued:
“So when you say to me, and when you say to this committee that this is a token gesture, this is fantasy politics, that this is performance politics, I totally reject that. How dare you come in here and make such statements.
You speak to the people on the ground that matter. Listen to what they’ve got to say about this bill. The NGO’s that have seen what’s going on.
“I think the most important thing that we should do is listen to those that are on the ground. They are asking us to continue, for Ireland and its Government to continue to take the lead in their fight for peace and justice for the people of Palestine and find a long-term solution.”
The Wicklow-Wexford TD has been praised for his stance, with the video of the debate gathering significant attention online on various social media platforms.
Jason Redmond
From Gorey, Jason is the owner of Wexford Weekly. He is also a post-primary English and History teacher.
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