The US Embassy in Dublin has responded after the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill was signed into law in Ireland on Thursday, July 23.
"The Israeli Settlements Bill risks real unintended consequences, particularly for nearly 1,000 U.S. companies and the hundreds of thousands of Irish jobs tied to them," the US Embassy in Ireland said on Friday.
"If the goal is to make a meaningful difference for Palestinians, the focus should be on coordinated international efforts that deliver real impact, not symbolic measures that harm Ireland’s economy and will not advance peace.
"We urge Ireland to avoid pushing similarly unhelpful initiatives at the EU-level."
To actually help Palestinians, we need to think outside the box and develop a holistic approach that synergizes their needs with our goals. Start with the low hanging fruit first, then when we have the bandwidth, we can circle back and do a deep dive. This is the only way to move the needle.