CAIRO, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) welcomed on Thursday the Irish Senate's vote on a bill banning the goods produced in occupied territories around the world, including Israeli settlements.
"The vote is courageous and daring," said Saeed Abu Ali, assistant secretary-general of the AL for Palestinian and occupied Arab territories affairs, in a statement.
He added that Ireland's move signaled a clear-cut message to the Israeli occupation that it has to pay for the crimes committed against Palestinians.
He called on other European Union (EU) states to follow the same path and "to be courageous enough to question Israel."
Irish senators voted 25 to 20 on Wednesday to approve the bill, which still needs to be passed by the Lower House to become law.
If passed, Ireland will be the first EU nation to enforce a boycott of Israeli settlement goods.
The AL statement added the bill is in line with the international laws and indicated whoever deals with Israeli settlement is a collaborator helping in cementing the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.
The proposed law was introduced by an independent senator and drew support from all of Ireland's major political parties, except the governing Fine Gael party.
Senator Frances Black, the bill's author, described the Israeli settlements a "war crime," adding Ireland will always stand on the side of international law, human rights and justice.
Israel has denounced the proposal as "populist, dangerous and extremist," while a spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization expressed "sincere appreciation" for the Irish move.
