Israel repeals diplomatic status of the Netherlands in the West Bank

Gideon Saar “informed the Dutch embassy in Israel that Dutch diplomats working in Ramallah should return their diplomatic documentation issued by Israel within seven days”.

“ After this period, the diplomatic privileges and immunities granted by the State of Israel will expire,” the Minister’s office, in a statement, following sanctions imposed by the Netherlands on Israeli settlements in this occupied territory, considered illegal under international law.

If the Netherlands wishes to continue to represent the interests of Palestinian citizens, it should do so “from the territory of the Palestinian Authority”, the note says.

The measure is in response to the entry into force in the Netherlands of a law prohibiting trade in Israeli products from the occupied territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Mountains.

As early as August, following the announcement of the approval of the law, Israel ordered the expulsion of the Netherlands delegation from the multinational centre of supervision of the ceasefire in Gaza, in Kiryat Gat (south of Israel), claiming that the government had carried out “anti-Israel actions”. This decision, according to the Saar office, has already been implemented.

“Any country that acts hostilely and unilaterally against Israel will lose influence and relevance in the region,” the minister said.

Similarly, Israel’s foreign ministry had already announced earlier this month a series of “countermeasures” against the United Kingdom — including the closure of its consulate in Jerusalem — in response to trade sanctions announced by that country to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

In addition to the closure of the consulate, Saar announced the withdrawal of UK representatives from the coordination centre for Gaza, the suspension of British training activities by Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank and the ban on entry into Israel for certain British citizens.