Palestinian ambassador ‘still optimistic’ about Occupied Territories Bill

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

The Palestinian ambassador to Ireland has said she is still optimistic about a proposed ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

The Government had signalled before Christmas that the Occupied Territories Bill would be passed when amendments are made to make the draft law as watertight as possible, as it is likely to be legally challenged if enacted.

After the Christmas break, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it would propose fresh legislation, claiming the Bill was “unconstitutional” and “deficient” in some areas.

The Bill aims to ban trade, of both goods and services, with illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

Asked about the suggestion of new legislation while speaking at an event at the University of Galway, Palestinian Ambassador Dr Jilan Abdalmajid said she was “still optimistic” it would be enacted.

She said that the review of the bill the Government began, after a decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July last year, was “a very, very good and strong move”.

“I’m still optimistic that it will be enacted here.

“I’m optimistic about this because the change of the Government position towards this is very positive and in the right way,” she said.

Speaking about the Palestinian cause, Ms Abdalmajid said they need to make “a huge effort to make the people listen to you”, Ireland excluded.

“We used to have great support in Africa, but now the challenges in Africa is huge,” she said.

She said the narrative of how Israel was formed in the wake of the second World War is well known, while the Palestinian narrative “is not heard”.

She said if the ICJ ruling: “They give the guidelines on how to stop this genocide, how to stop Israel from continuing not only killing the Palestinian people, but occupying our land.

“So if you are serious about helping the Palestinians, I think the roadmap is very clear.”

Asked about what impact Donald Trump’s presidency will have for the Palestinian cause, she said: “It’s a very hard question that, [for] any politician, any diplomat. It’s uncertainty. You cannot predict what’s going to be next.

“You know, he has signed so many resolutions, he has signed so many things, and from the first day, many legal actions has been taken, so things are not clear.”