Mayo councillors support Occupied Territories Bill motion

A MOTION in respect of enacting the Occupied Territories Bill has been adopted by Mayo County Council.

Tabled by Sinn Féin Councillor Gerry Murray, it asked: 'That this council opposes the exclusion of trade in services in the Occupied Territories Bill (OTB) and writes to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, calling on her to include a ban on trade in services in the Government’s proposed OTB with immediate effect'.

Councillor Murray said the motion was agreed by the all-party Oireachtas committee on foreign affairs, looking to extend the Bill to services as well as trade.

There were no dissenting voices in the council chamber as it received an 'agreed' response.

Mayo Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign has expressed its delight at the passing of the motion, which went unchallenged and received broad support across the chamber.

In a statement, the group said: “This is a testament to the extraordinary work people all over the county have put in over recent weeks and months.”

Thanks was extended to Councillor Gerry Murray and Councillor Harry Barrett for bringing the motion forward, and to every councillor who allowed it to pass.

The statement added: “Mayo has shown real leadership at a time when moral clarity is badly needed.

“This result reflects the tireless efforts of communities across the county: the phone calls, letters, research, newspaper articles, vigils and countless quiet conversations carried out by ordinary people. We especially want to acknowledge the women of Mayo, who have been central to this work, organising, educating and refusing to let compassion fade.

“The case put to councillors was clear and grounded in fact. The motion asked the government to follow the unanimous findings of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, whose members from every political party agreed that Ireland must ban trade in both goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements. These settlements have been deemed unlawful by the International Court of Justice, the United Nations, the European Union and every major human rights organisation.

“Ireland’s economic strength has long rested on our skilled workforce, our stability and our place in the European Union. Those are the foundations that draw investment to Mayo and to Ireland as a whole. Our commitment to human rights and international law is part of that reputation, and it is something we can be proud of.

“Standing firmly by international law has always enhanced Ireland’s standing in the world. Supporting this motion simply carries forward that tradition.

“For many people in Mayo, however, the legal case was only part of the story. Our county understands dispossession. We remember famine, eviction, colonisation and forced migration. We know what it means for families to lose homes and land under pressure. That memory still lives in our landscape.

“Many here recognise echoes of that history in the lives of Palestinian families living under occupation: children passing armed checkpoints on their way to school, mothers unable to reach medical care, families watching their homes demolished, farmers driven from land held for generations.

“Supporting this motion sends an important message to the government. Mayo, and Ireland, should not be complicit in breaches of international law. We care about fairness and humanity, and we do not look away.

“We commend Mayo County Council for standing on the right side of human rights and international law. Yesterday, Mayo showed the best of who we are: a county shaped by hardship but defined by solidarity.”