Israel expels two Dutch officials over settlement goods ban

Israel is expelling two Dutch officials from the US-backed centre that coordinates the Gaza ceasefire, in response to the Netherlands’ ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said on social media on Tuesday that the pair would be removed from the coordination centre in the southern city of Kiryat Gat and had one week to leave the country. The decision was taken with the approval of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Saar cited “a series of anti-Israel measures” by the Dutch government, the most recent being its ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements, which takes effect on September 22.

The two are a member of staff at the Dutch embassy in Israel and an official from the Netherlands’ representation in Ramallah, both serving as observers at the centre, news agency ANP reported.

“Our message is clear: those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region,” Saar said. He also claimed the Dutch government’s policy had been accompanied by “an unprecedented wave of antisemitism and boycotts” in the Netherlands.

Gaza aid centre
The centre was set up as the Civil-Military Coordination Center under US president Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, bringing together representatives from more than a dozen countries – including the Netherlands – to monitor the ceasefire, oversee aid and help plan the territory’s reconstruction.

The Netherlands is the second country to be expelled from the centre, after Israel removed Spain in April. The move is the latest in a series of diplomatic clashes: Israel summoned the Dutch ambassador last year over travel bans imposed on two far-right Israeli ministers.

Dutch response
Foreign minister Tom Berendsen said he regretted the expulsion, calling it “an unnecessary action” that he had raised immediately with Saar. He linked the move to the Israeli elections at the end of October.

Berendsen said the settlement-goods ban would not change and that aid to Gaza was still badly needed to carry out the commitments made under Trump’s plan. He said he respected Israel’s decision but remained willing to discuss it.

The Dutch cabinet agreed the three-year ban in May. It bars the import, sale and trade of goods from illegal settlements in territories occupied by Israel.

Last week the Netherlands joined six other governments in condemning Israel’s decision to open bidding on a major West Bank settlement project.