Knesset speaker cancels Ireland visit after parliament backs West Bank boycott
Yuli Edelstein calls off trip to the Emerald Isle in March after the 'Occupied Territories Bill' passes through Ireland's lower house
The speaker of Israel’s Knesset cancelled an official delegation of Israeli lawmakers to Ireland, after its parliament advanced a bill banning the sale of West Bank goods.
Yuli Edelstein cancelled the parliamentary delegation on Monday. It was scheduled to travel in March.
The Occupied Territories Bill passed on Thursday would ban the import or sale of goods originating in all “occupied territories,” with lawmakers’ discussions centred on eastern Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the West Bank.
The Irish Parliament’s lower house, or Dail, passed the measure by a vote of 78-45 with three abstentions. The upper house of the Irish Parliament, the Seanad, passed the bill in July. It is the second of a five-phase process, according to reports.
The Irish ambassador to Israel was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand on Friday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also serves as Foreign Minister.
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