OTB must be passed in full, says Boylan

Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has said that the Occupied Territories Bill must urgently be passed in full.

The Dublin MEP was speaking following comments from European Commission head Ursula Von Der Leyen last week, where she stopped short of saying Israel are committing genocide, but also expressed clear displeasure with Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“While there hasn’t yet been any firm action from the EU, more and more member states are preparing to bring forward their own measures against Israel,” Boylan noted, with similar measures being drawn up by the Spanish, Belgian and Dutch governments.

“Indeed, Spain brought forward a number of measures last week, including a ban on ships carrying fuel for Israel from docking in Spain, or aircraft carrying weapons for Israel from travelling through Spanish airspace,” she noted.

She said that the actions of the Spanish government are “exactly what Israel is afraid of,” and Ireland should follow suit.

“When the Dáil resumes, Ireland can put Israel under even more pressure by passing The Occupied Territories Bill in full, and by stopping foreign military planes from using Shannon airport, or carrying Israeli weapons through our airspace.

“Imposing severe sanctions on Israel can make a real difference in halting their genocidal assault on Gaza,” Boylan said.