Why is Fianna Fáil stalling the Occupied Territories Bill despite introducing it to the Dáil 7 years ago?

The Occupied Territories Bill (OTB) which seeks to ban trade with Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Occupied Territory was first tabled in the Seanad by Senator Francis Black.

To become law, a bill must pass through both the Seanad and the Dáil, requiring a sponsor to formally introduce it or move it through that chamber's stages of scrutiny.

Fianna Fáil TD and now junior minister, Niall Collins brought the OTB to the Dáil floor with the support of now senior cabinet members Jim O'Callaghan, Darragh O'Brien, James Browne and MEP Billy Kelleher on the 23rd of January 2019.

Seven years later, Fianna Fáil partnered with Fine Gael and a few independents continue to stall the progression of the Occupied Territories Bill.

They'll often cite constitutional and EU law incompatibilities, implementation issues and adverse economic consequences affecting multinational corporations which operate in Ireland due to anti-BDS laws in the US which exist to protect Israeli trade.

These are the same issues which the then Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney brought up when Niall Collins first brought the bill to the Dáil, particularly that of EU law.

" I do not agree that the Bill is the right way forward now

The formal advice to the Government of the Attorney General on this matter has confirmed clearly that passage of the Bill would put Ireland in breach of EU law and would expose Ireland to legal action by the European Commission," said Coveney.

However, the Cabinets top legal expert, Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan, refuted this at the time.

"It was suggested that this legislation could impose significant and recurring damages on the State because it might involve fines from the European Union or the European Commission.

Anyone who knows the workings of the European Commission will know that Ireland will be given a warning if it brings the matter before a court, and that after a court decision has been made, we will be given the necessary time to ensure that the law is compatible with European Union law.

We could bring in this change readily without any fine being imposed upon us."

The other supporters of the bill spoke forcefully, calling on the Government to move beyond rhetoric and enact the legislation.

"The time for waiting is over now … There is no reason why Ireland should not lead. I am proud of the track record of my party, Fianna Fáil, in that regard. I am proud to be working with colleagues across the House to pass legislation that will make a difference and that will send a message," said now Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien.

"No condemnation has been strong enough to change Israel's approach, and it would appear that the Israeli authorities have become accustomed to tuning out criticism. It has no impact on the actions of the Israeli authorities. It is clear to me that we have to change tack and take time to take a different course of action. If change is to come, we must make the settlement project a less desirable policy for Israel," said Niall Collins.

"I am firmly of the belief that if we delay and prevaricate then the two-state solution will cease to be a means to an end. This is because the second state, Palestine, will no longer exist. It is now at a crisis point," said now MEP Billy Kelleher

Ceist? is asking why Fianna Fáil now cite the excuses they once contested in attempt to stall a bill they originally championed in the Dáil?