Israel warns Ireland over bill boycotting settlement goods

JERUSALEM – Israel has warned Ireland over passing a bill to ban imports of West Bank settlement products, saying the legislation, if adopted, would have “severe ramifications” on mutual relations.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Friday it summoned Irish Ambassador Alison Kelly to the ministry’s headquarters in Jerusalem and made Israel’s stance on the matter clear to her.

The ministry says the bill, which was advanced in Ireland’s lower house of parliament on Thursday, is “hypocritical and anti-Semitic.”

The law envisions prison terms and high fines for Irish businesses trading with goods originating in the settlements.

If the bill becomes law, Ireland would become the first European country to ban settlement goods. The EU in 2015 issued guidelines on labelling settlement products. Palestinians seek the West Bank as part of their future state.