Israeli companies will be restricted from winning any future State contracts to supply military equipment, such as drones, to the Defence Forces, in response to Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank.
Speaking on Thursday, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin said he had issued a direction to officials that no Israeli companies were to be awarded defence or military contracts.
The decision to effectively blacklist Israeli defence contractors and suppliers from winning public contracts was made in the wake of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in a non-binding opinion, that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories were in breach of international law.
Mr Martin said Ireland had to take account of the ICJ ruling concerning the “illegal occupation” of Palestinian territories, such as the West Bank. “We cannot engage in activities that could further that illegal occupation,” he told RTÉ's News at One.
As a result a direction had been issued that would restrict Israeli companies from winning contracts to supply the Defence Forces with equipment in future. “We will not be procuring military equipment, or defence equipment, contracts,” Mr Martin said. “In our view, looking at the ICJ’s advisory opinion, that is one area where I have given clear instruction to my officials on,” he said.
One department source said while the Government could not prevent Israeli companies from bidding on publicly advertised State contracts, the decision would preclude them being successful in the competitions.
The Defence Forces currently uses a wide variety of Israeli-made military equipment, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), advanced targeting equipment, ground radar systems and communications systems.
It recently sought bidders for a contract to supply 14 drones to the Irish Army, which military sources previously suggested Israeli arms companies would be well placed to win.
Responding to queries last month, the Department of Defence said at that point there were no restrictions on Israeli companies bidding for the contract. Defence officials said that, despite Government criticism, “there has been no change of policy regarding Defence Forces use of Israeli-made military equipment”.
Ireland has paid more than €8.5 million to Israeli arms manufacturers in the last decade, including at least €4.5 million, excluding VAT, to Aeronautics Defence Industries, a military drone manufacturer owned by the Israeli government through its parent company, Rafael Advanced Defence Systems.
Mr Martin was speaking before a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Brussels on Thursday, which discussed a proposal to sanction two Israeli government ministers, over comments they have made since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. It is understood the proposals presented to ministers suggested sanctions be placed on Itamar Ben Gvir, Israeli minister of national security, and Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli minister for finance.
The proposal, which is supported by Ireland, is unlikely to receive the required unanimous support of the 27 member states, given some remain ardent supporters of Israel. Speaking before the meeting, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said the proposed sanctions were in response to the Israeli politicians inciting hatred against Palestinians.
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