ISTANBUL 

Simon Harris, Ireland's tanaiste (deputy prime minister) and minister of foreign affairs, trade, and defense, announced on Saturday that the country will move forward with legislation suspending trade with Israeli firms based in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a post on X, Harris said the Irish government will seek a formal decision on the legislation on Tuesday, and he hopes that the Committee on Foreign Affairs will begin reviewing the bill in June.

Harris condemned the starvation of children and the use of food as a weapon of war amid the Israeli blockade, which has prevented thousands of aid trucks, including those funded by Irish Aid for over 6,000 Palestinians, from entering Gaza for over 80 days.

“The world has to act and the world has not done nearly enough,” Harris said, calling for stronger international efforts to secure a ceasefire, release hostages, and provide access to humanitarian aid.

Harris welcomed the European Union's recent decision to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a move strongly supported by Ireland.

However, he argued that the review alone is insufficient. “In my view, in the view of Ireland, it needs to be more than reviewed. It needs to be suspended because it cannot be business as usual whilst this is being carried out in Gaza,” he added.

- Occupied Territories bill

The Occupied Territories Bill, introduced in 2018 by Independent Sen. Frances Black, seeks to ban the import of goods and services from areas deemed to violate international law, with a specific focus on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.