Galway County Council has passed a motion to call on the Government to amend the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Bill to include the prohibition of trade in services.
The motion was proposed by Cllr Kelly McHugh Farag (IND ) and there was universal agreement for it to be passed in the council chamber. Part of the motion involves the county council urging the Government to enact the legislation in full before the end of spring 2026.
“It is incumbent on us to let humanity prevail,” outlined McHugh Farag in a powerful message at the recent February plenary meeting held on Monday. The Independent councillor said that as the “closest representative” to the public, it was important that momentum grew from the ground up.
“We would be missing out massively if we didn’t include goods and services,” she said.
It was a sentiment shared by elected members. Cllr Declan Kelly (II ) said that there was “a pressing moral imperative” to support the motion. While Cllr Dermot Connolly (SF ) said that it was “vitally important that the Irish Government listens to what people are saying”.
“The Israeli regime want silence and it is silence that will allow the slaughter to continue,” Cllr Connolly added.
Fine Gael’s Cllr Jimmy McClearn referenced Ireland’s history as a reason for support. “Given our historical background over hundreds of years, we understand what’s going on to Palestinian people,” he said.
Earlier in the meeting, it was approved that a delegation from the council would attend St Patrick’s Day engagements in New York and Boston. A number of councillors shared that it was important that delegation shared Ireland’s views on Palestine at those engagements.
