Irish teachers confront ministers with calls to pass Occupied Territories Bill

Delegates at two conferences for teachers’ unions have confronted education ministers about the Irish government’s ongoing failure to pass legislation limiting trade with so-called ‘Israel’ via the Occupied Territories Bill.

Attendees at the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) annual congress met minister for further and higher education James Lawless with chants of “enact the Occupied Territories Bill”. At the equivalent gathering for the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), teachers demanded the same of minister for education and youth Hildegarde Naughton.

Successive governments have stalled on passing the legislation for a staggering eight years since Independent TD Frances Black first introduced the then Control of Economic Activities (Occupied Territories) Bill in 2018. It is now known as the The Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, but is typically still referred to as the Occupied Territories Bill (OTB).

Micheál Martin’s government has done everything possible to stymie progress of the bill, often claiming legal complexities as the key cause of delay. In reality the Genocide Convention – which requires signatories to prevent and punish acts of genocide – trumps the concerns Martin has raised. Halting all trade with the Zionist entity would be an effective way to adhere to the state’s responsibilities under the Convention.

Occupied Territories Bill restricting trade with ‘Israel’ weakened to help multinationals

In January the Taoiseach let slip the real reasons for the hold up – the negative effects for big companies operating in Ireland. Martin described the services element of the bill as “completely non-implementable”, and went on to say:

There would also be an impact for Irish multinationals, or multinationals based in Ireland. We need to be clear eyed about that, and people need to realise that and know about that.

Foreign affairs spokesperson for Labour Duncan Smith pointed out the obvious when saying Martin’s move was:

…a political choice, and it is the wrong one.

Martin has whined that the bill would “be very, very limited indeed” on its “impact on Israeli policy”. If watered down as much as Martin would like, yes. On its own and without other countries following suit, yes. However, a bill banning all trade with the Zionist pseudo-state would have a significant effect, given Ireland is the largest per-capita importer of goods from the terrorist regime. If followed by similar bills across the world, it would have a devastating impact on the apartheid economy.

When News Chambers confronted Tánaiste Simon Harris at the end of March if the OTB should be expedited, Harris claimed that:

…it’s being worked on as fast as it can…

He again cited vague legal concerns. No one would seek lengthy legal advice before smashing a car window on a hot day to rescue a suffocating baby. Similarly, the continuing atrocities of the Zionist land thieves warrant immediate response. In both examples, strong action taken should be easily legally defensible as a means of preventing a greater harm.

Delegates at the INTO conference passed a motion condemning the government’s failure to enact the OTB. They also included in that motion a demand that Irish schools adopt an ethical procurement policy in compliance with UN standards on human rights. A key part of this would involved ending trade with the Zionist entity. It would also mean adhering to policies laid down by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the terrorist regime in Tel Aviv.

GAA still under pressure for Allianz support

INTO members also put the spotlight back on the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) for their continued partnership with Allianz. The German insurance giant was named by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese in her landmark Economy of Genocide report. The company pumps vast sums into the criminal Zionist economy via investment in shares and bonds there. The GAA allow Allianz to sponsor its events.

INTO members’ particular focus is on Cumann na mBunscol, who promote and organise Gaelic Games in primary schools. The Allianz logo features prominently on their web page. It is self-evidently obscene to have this criminal company’s name attached to children’s sport, at the same time as it aids the massacre of children in Palestine.

INTO General Secretary John Boyle emphasised this message, saying there:

…can be no hiding place for those who cause the deliberate destruction of childhood.

Referencing the OTB, he went on to say that:

We need a government that shows the courage once demonstrated by the Dunnes Stores workers who helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa – a government willing to enact the Occupied Territories Bill and show that Ireland will not be complicit in human rights’ violations.

This is indeed the example to look to. The Irish government in 1987 enacted a ban on importation of all apartheid South African products following a three year campaign against such items by the Dunnes Stores strikers.

In 2012, Desmond Tutu described apartheid ‘Israel’ as worse than its South African counterpart. Now it not only perpetrates apartheid, it carries out genocide. Rather than delays followed by a watered down version of the OTB, Martin’s government must move towards a ban of all trade with the illegitimate settler-colony.

Featured image via the Canary