Israel revokes Dutch diplomats’ status over sanctions on settlements

Israel has revoked the diplomatic status of Dutch diplomats at the Netherlands’ ‌Representative Office in Ramallah, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has said.

The countermeasure announced on Sunday comes in response to the Dutch government’s ban on ⁠imports originating ⁠from Israeli settlements in the ⁠occupied West Bank.

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In a statement posted on X, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gidoen Saar said, “If the Netherlands wishes to continue representing its interests with the Palestinians, it may do so from Palestinian Authority territory, rather than from the territory of the State of Israel.”

Israel informed the Dutch embassy that “diplomats operating in Ramallah must return their Israeli-issued diplomatic documentation within seven days”.

Saar said, “Last month, we removed the Dutch delegation from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat, following actions taken by the Dutch Government against Israel. I reiterate: Israel will not ignore measures intended to harm it. Any country that acts in a hostile and unilateral manner against Israel will lose influence and relevance in the region.”

Carne Ross, a former senior British diplomat and founder of the non-profit advisory group Independent Diplomat, told Al Jazeera that “the fact that Israel is chucking out Dutch diplomats who are essentially diplomats to Palestine, to the Palestinian population in the West Bank, I don’t think is that significant, except to indicate Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation.”

Israel has enacted a series of retaliatory measures in response to the United Kingdom, France and Canada announcing sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements.

Earlier this month, Israel announced a seven-day deadline for the removal of British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center as one of four countermeasures against the UK for imposing sanctions on illegal settlements in the West Bank.

Netherlands sanctions

The Netherlands brought its ban into force on September 22. The Dutch measure goes further than some others. It bans the import, purchase and sale of goods from illegal Israeli settlements, as well as services facilitating that trade.

Bilateral trade between the Netherlands and Israel totalled about $4.8bn last year. Its significance extends beyond the Dutch market, with the Netherlands serving as a major gateway for goods entering the rest of Europe.

The legal non-profit Global Echo group said the Netherlands accounted for a third of agricultural exports from Israel’s illegal settlements and nearly half of those destined for the European Union.