Netherlands to ban Israeli settler products from 22 September

The Netherlands will join Ireland, Belgium and Spain in imposing restrictions on trade with territories occupied by Israeli settlers. Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and its settlements are illegal under international law. [Getty] The Netherlands government announced Tuesday that it would ban imports from Palestinian territories occupied by Israeli settlers from September 22. The Netherlands will join Ireland, Belgium and Spain among European Union countries that have imposed restrictions on trade with territories occupied by Israeli settlers. There have been growing calls for the 27-nation bloc to impose EU-wide restrictions over Israel's military action in Gaza and increased violence in the occupied territories, but some EU members are reluctant. Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and its settlements are illegal under international law. The Dutch foreign ministry said, "With the proposed measures, the Netherlands is reinforcing its commitment to fulfilling its international legal obligation not to contribute to this unlawful situation." The ban will apply to "the import, purchase, and sale of goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements located in the Palestinian territories", the ministry said. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and more than 500,000 settlers now illegally live in the territories alongside some three million Palestinians. Israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied West Bank have increased their attacks on Palestinians since the eruption of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza after October 2023. The Global Echo non-government group, which pursues legal cases for Palestinians against the occupation, said in a report released in June that the Netherlands accounted for a third of agricultural exports from Israel's illegal settlements and nearly half of the total sent to the European Union. Related Articles