AL welcomes Irish parl't law incriminating importing, selling products from Israeli settlements

CAIRO, Jan 30 (MENA) - The Arab League welcomed a law issued by the Irish parliament incriminating importing or selling products from Israeli settlements.

This is a very important step taken by a European parliament, Arab League Assistant Secretary General for Palestinian and Occupied Arab Territories Affairs Saeed Abu Ali said.

In press statements, Abu Ali urged all countries around the world especially the EU member states to follow in Ireland's steps.

The lower house of the Irish parliament passed the law preventing the importation or sale of goods from Israeli settlements.

The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill, originally proposed by Senator Frances Black, was passed in the Irish Senate back in January 2018. On Thursday, Irish MP Niall Collins, of the Fianna Fail opposition party, introduced the bill in the lower House (Dail Eireann), where it passed by a margin of 78 votes to 45, with three abstentions, according to a report by the International Middle East Media Center.

The bill declares that it seeks to ‘give effect to the Irish state’s obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and under customary international humanitarian law.’

In so doing, this law would ‘make it an offence for a person to import or sell goods or services originating in an occupied territory or to extract resources from an occupied territory in certain circumstances.’