Israel has revoked the diplomatic status of Dutch diplomats working at the Netherlands’ Representative Office in Ramallah, after the Dutch government imposed a ban on goods and services originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the diplomats must return their Israeli-issued documentation within seven days. He warned that countries taking what Israel considers “hostile and unilateral” measures would lose influence in the region.
The Dutch settlement ban came into force on 22 September prohibiting the import, purchase and sale of goods from Israeli settlements as well as services facilitating that trade.
The Netherlands’ Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen responded that he regretted what he called an “unnecessary” decision and said the government was considering its response. He defended the sanctions, reflecting that the Netherlands’ is obligated not to contribute to what it described as the unlawful situation created by the settlements. However, he also asserted that the sanctions were not aimed at Israel itself, only imports from settlements which are illegal under international law.
