Netherlands to sanction trade with illegal Israeli settlements

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that the Netherlands has given final approval to a decree banning trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The measure, announced Tuesday, is scheduled to take effect on September 22 and will prohibit the import, purchase and sale of products originating in settlements the Dutch government considers unlawful under international law.

The decree will also bar Dutch companies from offering brokering services that support such trade, and it applies to Dutch firms operating outside the country. Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Berendsen told parliament the ban had already been planned, with the implementation date now confirmed. A majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of parliament, backed the measure last year.

The move places the Netherlands among a small number of European Union states taking unilateral action while efforts to secure an EU-wide settlement trade ban remain blocked by divisions among member governments. Al Jazeera notes that Belgium approved a similar import ban days earlier, while Spain and Ireland have also moved independently. The Dutch Council of State did not object to the policy but questioned how easily it could be enforced, a concern the government said it had considered.

The ban is expected to cover goods from settlements in the occupied West Bank and the occupied Golan Heights, including agricultural products such as dates, avocados, citrus, grapes, herbs and wine. Al Jazeera cited research from Global Echo saying the Netherlands has been a significant destination for agricultural exports from Israeli settlements. Far-right politician Geert Wilders criticized the decision on X.