Right, so Ireland has pushed a total ban on goods from Israel’s illegal settlements through the Dáil and on into the Seanad.

And the amount of trade involved is about €200,000 a year.

Two hundred grand.

Now, to most normal people, that is still a lot of money. You’d notice if somebody removed €200,000 from your bank account. I certainly would if I had it to begin with. But in terms of international trade, this is loose change. It’s a couple of crates, some produce, a few bits and pieces from settlements in the occupied West Bank.

And yet getting even this tiny measure through has taken eight years, multiple governments, legal warnings, American pressure and enough political shuffling to wear a groove in the floor of Leinster House.

Which rather gives the game away.

Because Israel’s problem here is not the €200, ...