Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen on Wednesday dismissed Israel's decision to expel his officials from a Gaza support centre in retaliation for a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements.
Mr Berendsen said he regretted Israel's move, which he linked to the country's upcoming elections. He added that the expulsion would not stop the Netherlands from moving ahead with a ban on trade involving settlement goods due to start in September.
“I regret this step by Israel, which in my view is unnecessary,” Mr Berendsen told Dutch media. “I also view this step in the context of the elections in Israel.”
Two Dutch officials have been targeted by the measure, according to Dutch media. The Netherlands is among several countries involved in the US-led International Support Centre for Gaza, in Kiryat Gat, to support the entry of humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave.
“We will [have to] respect this decision by Israel, but we will continue to commit ourselves to the best of our ability and in every way possible to the implementation of the 20-point [peace] plan and humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza,” Mr Berendsen said.
“This will not affect the decision of the Netherlands to ban products from illegal settlements. Naturally I remain willing to discuss this with my Israeli colleague,” he added.
Israel is fighting a rearguard action as countries outside the US take a stand over its military-led activities in the Palestinian territories. The non-EU UK is likely to join the ban on trade with Israeli settlements within weeks despite some pro-Israel voices within Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Labour party warning it would represent a “de facto boycott”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a post on X on Tuesday evening that the decision to expel Dutch officials from the Gaza support centre had been taken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “following a series of anti-Israel measures taken by the Dutch government”. Mr Saar said: “Our message is clear: those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region.”
Growing momentum
The Netherlands will be the second country to ban trade with Israeli settlements after Spain did so last year. Spain was followed by Slovenia, but it reversed its decision after a change of government. Belgium and Ireland are working on a similar law.
The EU is Israel's leading foreign export market and imports from settlements represent a fraction of the total.
The growing momentum over banning goods from settlements reflects disapproval of Israeli government support for settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. That land would be part of a future Palestinian state, which the EU supports.
Last week, Israel opened bids for the highly sensitive E1 project that would effectively divide the West Bank in two and halt the possibility of a Palestinian state, which the Israeli government rejects.
Efforts to implement an EU-wide ban on trade with settlements have been blocked by some countries, led by Germany. Goods produced in settlements are allowed to enter the EU market as long as they are labelled to clarify that they were not produced within Israel's borders set out in 1967.
Roughly 700,000 Israelis live in settlements that are illegal under international law. Settler outposts have aggressively expanded since the start of the Gaza war in 2023, with Israeli activists increasingly harassing and attacking Palestinians to pressure them to leave.
In April, Israel expelled Spanish officials from the Gaza support centre, one month after Spain withdrew its ambassador to Israel. Madrid publicly criticised the US-Israeli strikes against Iran launched in February. It also led a movement for recognition of Palestinian statehood by a number of western states after the start of the Gaza war.
The Netherlands, which is widely viewed as one of Israel's close allies in Europe, did not join the wave of recognitions which included Norway, France and the UK.
