ISRAEL'S TAKING THE PEACE

Increased violence shows no desire for deal over West Bank, says McEntee, Martin forced to defend exclusion of services from Occupied Territories Bill

- BAIRBRE HOLMES

A RECENT escalation of settler violence in the West Bank shows that the Israeli government has "'no desire" for a peaceful solution, Helen McEntee has claimed.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs said she hopes a law banning the importation of goods to Ireland from illegal Israeli settlements will be in place by the Dail’s summer break.

Minister McEntee was speaking to reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday where she will seek to have the Occupied Territories Bill approved. She said she hopes it will then be enacted “by the summer recess”.

The bill was originally proposed in 2018 and sought to ban both the import of goods and services, but the Government has said the inclusion of services is “not implementable”.

Asked if the legislation is as strong as she would like it to be, Ms McEntee said: “The Government have been very clear that we will bring forward legislation to respond to what we believe is totally unacceptable behaviour and an escalation in violence - but also very clearly illegal settlements in the West Bank by the Israeli government.