Israel moves to withdraw diplomatic privileges from Dutch officials
Israel says it will revoke the diplomatic accreditation of Dutch officials based in the occupied West Bank after the Netherlands began enforcing restrictions on goods from Israeli settlements. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar gave the officials seven days to return Israeli-issued diplomatic documents before their privileges and immunities expire.
Israel will revoke the diplomatic accreditation of Dutch officials based in the occupied West Bank after the Netherlands began enforcing restrictions on goods from Israeli settlements, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday. In a post on X, Saar said the officials had seven days to return diplomatic papers issued by Israel. He said their diplomatic privileges and immunities would expire after that period.
Saar linked the decision to the Dutch government’s enforcement of a ban on goods imported from Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights, the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Dutch authorities said the restrictions, which began on September 22, apply to commercial shipments and goods carried in passengers’ luggage. Dutch and Israeli media have reported searches of luggage belonging to passengers arriving from Israel at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
The Dutch measure followed coordinated action by 12 Western countries, including Britain and France, to sanction goods from Israeli settlements. The source material says the settlements are regarded as illegal under international law. About 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, excluding east Jerusalem, alongside three million Palestinians, according to the report.
The territory, together with the Golan Heights and east Jerusalem, came under Israeli occupation after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.