Israel revokes credentials of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah over West Bank trade ban

Israel revokes credentials of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah over West Bank trade ban

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Sunday that Israel had revoked the credentials of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah in response to the Netherlands’ ban on goods from Israeli settlements.

"We informed the Dutch Embassy in Israel this evening that Dutch diplomats operating in Ramallah must return their Israeli-issued diplomatic documentation within seven days," Sa’ar said in a post on X, adding that after this period, the diplomatic privileges and immunities granted to them will expire.

"If the Netherlands wishes to continue representing its interests with the Palestinians, it may do so from Palestinian Authority territory, rather than from the territory of the State of Israel," Sa'ar said.

The announcement came after the Netherlands began enforcing a national ban on 22 September on the import, purchase and sale of goods from illegal Israeli settlements amid escalating violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Read more: Israel revokes credentials of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah over West Bank trade ban