Pass the Occupied Territories Bill

In a recent episode of The Albert Byrne Podcast, Issa Amro — human rights defender from Hebron, West Bank, and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, sometimes referred to as the “alternate Nobel Prize” — delivers a simple yet urgent plea: pass the Occupied Territories Bill due for consideration in the coming Dail session. He calls it the most important piece of legislation in the world today, a trailblazer for other nations to follow.

Ireland has been called to lead the way. The Dunnes Stores Strikes in 1984 in protest against apartheid resulted in Ireland 3 years later becoming the first Western country to ban South African goods — a victory that inspired the rest of Europe.

Now, history calls us again. The Occupied Territories Bill will ban goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements. It passed the Seanad in 2018 and the Dáil in 2019 by a clear majority — yet has been stalled for six years most likely due to pressure from the Israeli lobby and the US administration due to it’s importance internationally and the impact it will have on the world stage.

This is not just about trade. It is about whether Ireland will be complicit in genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the starvation of a people — or whether we will stand, as before, on the right side of history.

Though small in size, Ireland’s voice carries great weight. We must raise it now.

Let us be the first nation to pass this law in the next Dáil session and lead the way for other countries to follow suit. Let us be proud to be Irish and not look back in shame at our failure to act.

Please sign this petition and make our voices heard.

Thank you.

FULL PODCAST: https://fb.watch/ByR3a9EM9N/