Irish Citizens Could Go to Prison for Shopping in Pre-1967 Israel if This New Anti-Israel Law Passes
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- The proposed law would make it illegal
for Irish citizens to buy goods
and services from Israeli citizens
and what they define asthe occupied territories.
That would make it illegal tobuy an ice cream, a post card
or a bottle of water here inthe old city of Jerusalem.
- We bought ice cream and we bought water
and we bought it here in the old city next
to Jaffa Gate and if this bill passes,
then what we just did would be illegal.
- Irish citizens Karen andNorman Ievers along with
their twins Natalie andNathaniel visit Israel often.
- Well it's an impeachmentof our freedoms.
I just hope that it won't hurt anybody
and that it won't hurt Ireland.
- The bill is called a Control
of Economic Activity inOccupied Territories.
If it becomes law, anIrish citizen convicted
for violating it could befined more than a quarter
of a million dollars and spendup to five years in jail.
- The proposed Irishlaw is the most extreme
anti-Israel legislation proposed
anywhere outside of the Arab league.
If you come to the Holly Cityand you buy some Holly water,
if you buy some Jewish prayer shall,
religious books, bringback to Ireland, bang jail.
- International law expertprofessor Eugene Kontorovich
calls the bill radial.
- What's shocking about this law
is it's clearly discriminatory in nature.
So they say we considerthis occupied territory,
we have a problem with occupiedterritories but other than
the fact that it's actuallynot occupied territory,
the law does not apply toany other people or group
other than Jews here intheir biblical homeland.
- One Israeli legal organization produced
this YouTube video to raise awareness.
- We met the nice couple Karen and Norman
and we decided to help themand to do something about this
and make the world kindof understand better
of how ridiculous this wholesituation is potentially.
- We love Israel, we'reChristian Zionists,
we support the Jewish peopleand the Palestinian people
and we think this bill is unfair
and we wanted our voices to be heard.
- One of the only reasons thelaw has not been passed yet
is because the Irishgovernment is properly worried
about the consequences it's gonna have
for Irish companiesdoing business in America
and many of the large American companies
like Apple that do business in Ireland
because America has strictlaws agaisnt boycotting Israel.
- In the meantime, theIevers hope their next visit
to Jerusalem won't land them in jail.
Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Jerusalem.