Donohoe ‘did not speak to Israeli minister over Occupied Territories Bill’

The Tanaiste said the Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe is “clear” he did “not make” any phone call to an Israeli minister about the Occupied Territories Bill.

Micheal Martin said he spoke to the Fine Gael minister on Thursday, and was clear that the reported phone call did not happen, nor does his published diary record any phone call.

It was reported by the online website The Ditch that the then finance minister had a “secret phone call” in 2019 with his Israeli counterpart to assure him the Irish Government would block the Bill.

The website said the call was disclosed in documents leaked from the Israeli Ministry of Justice.

Sinn Fein’s Matt Carthy raised the issue in the Dail on Thursday, calling on Mr Martin to clarify whether the phone call took place.

Mr Carthy, the Sinn Fein spokesman on foreign affairs, said: “One of the things that we can do and, in fact, should have done years ago, is to enact the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018.

“The Bill is not controversial or, at least, it should not be.

“It simply bans trade with and economic support for illegal settlements and territories deemed occupied under international law.

“The Tanaiste’s party supported it when it was in opposition.

“It not only supported it but ran a roadshow in towns and cities across Ireland setting out its importance.

“On entering Government, Fianna Fail and the Green Party, it has to be said, have allowed Fine Gael to continue blocking this legislation.

“We have heard the excuses as to why the Bill has not been enacted.

“Reporting from The Ditch website suggests that following a confidential and unrecorded call with the minister, Paschal Donohoe, Israeli officials were in little doubt that the Bill would be blocked by the Fine Gael Government.

“We are told that Israeli officials emphasised that this was a confidential call and that, of course, chimes with the minister’s own failure to record it in his ministerial diary and the Tanaiste’s contention that the minister cannot recall a conversation.”

Mr Martin said he spoke to Mr Donohoe on Thursday.

“He is clear that he did not make any such phone call,” he said.

“His published diary does not record any such phone call.

“It speaks to people rushing to judgment before ascertaining the full facts.

“He is very clear and I think deputy Carthy should perhaps withdraw the assertions in his earlier public statements in that regard.”

Mr Carthy, a TD for Cavan Monaghan, called on the Tanaiste to commit to enacting the Occupied Territories Bill, and to allow for the passage of Sinn Fein’s Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023, which bans the state from investing in companies that profit from illegal Israeli settlements.

Mr Martin went on to say that the Israeli response to the attack on October 7 by Hamas has been “absolutely disproportional” and led to near famine conditions and the killing of more than 40,000 people in Gaza.

“In my view, that is reprehensible,” he told the Dail.

Mr Martin said he met the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (Mohammed Mustafa), who he said was “very grateful and very appreciative” of Ireland’s stance and support of the Palestinian right to self-determination.