JERUSALEM: The Netherlands has expressed regret over Israel’s decision to revoke the diplomatic accreditation of Dutch officials based in the West Bank, after The Hague imposed restrictions on goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“I deeply regret this unnecessary decision,” Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said, stressing that the Dutch decision to suspend imports from the occupied territories was “not directed against Israel”.
Berendsen said the import suspension reflected what he described as the Netherlands’ “obligation, under international law, not to contribute to an unlawful situation: the illegal settlements”.
Earlier, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar announced that diplomatic accreditation for Dutch officials based in the occupied West Bank will be revoked after the Netherlands began enforcing restrictions on goods from Israeli settlements.
Saar said on Sunday that the officials would have seven days to return Israeli-issued diplomatic documents. After that period, their diplomatic privileges and immunities granted by Israel would expire.
Diplomatic dispute over settlement goods
Saar said the decision followed the Dutch government’s implementation of a ban on goods imported from Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
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Dutch authorities announced that the restrictions would begin on September 22 and would apply to both commercial shipments and personal luggage.
Reports from Dutch and Israeli media said some passengers arriving from Israel at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport had their baggage checked for restricted goods.
Wider international action
The Dutch measures came after coordinated action by 12 Western countries, including Britain and France, which introduced restrictions on goods from Israeli settlements earlier this month.
Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and has maintained control over the territories since then. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
Around 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, alongside about three million Palestinians.
The decision has added to diplomatic tensions surrounding settlement-related policies and international measures targeting goods linked to settlements.
