Dutch agree to ban import in goods from Occupied Territories

The Dutch cabinet is working on measures to ban the import and trade of goods from the Occupied Territories and Syrian Golan Heights, prime minister Rob Jetten told reporters on Friday.

Speaking at his weekly press conference after the cabinet meeting, Jetten said the three-year ban would apply to all goods from illegal Israeli settlements and would also affect Dutch companies based abroad.

“The Netherlands will continue to speak out against infringements of international law and in favour of more humanitarian help,” Jetten said. “The cabinet has agreed to the sanctions to step up pressure on the Netanyahu government.”

MPs voted in favour of a total trade boycott of products from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories last year, including the ruling right-wing VVD.

Foreign affairs minister Tom Berendsen and trade minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma told MPs in a briefing on Friday that ensuring the sanctions are not broken will be difficult. However, the Netherlands will work together with other countries, such as Belgium, which brought in an import ban last year, they said.

The Netherlands will continue to press for similar action at an EU level, they said.

“The expansion of illegal settlements and excessive violence by settlers are causing an ever-deteriorating situation, in which a two-state solution is moving ever further out of reach,” the cabinet statement said.

“The cabinet will use these measures to prevent Dutch economic activities from contributing to the perpetuation of a situation that is contrary to international law.”

The plans have now been sent to the Council of State, the highest government advisory body, for an emergency opinion.