Israel to Revoke Diplomatic Status of Dutch Officials in West Bank

Israel has announced that it will revoke the diplomatic status of Dutch officials stationed in the occupied West Bank, after the Netherlands began enforcing sanctions on goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday that Dutch diplomats based in the West Bank have seven days to surrender the diplomatic papers issued to them by Israeli authorities, after which their diplomatic privileges and immunities would cease to apply.

“After this period, the diplomatic privileges and immunities granted to them by the State of Israel will expire,” Saar wrote on his official X account.

The decision marks a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions between Israel and the Netherlands, as European governments adopt tougher measures against products originating from Israeli settlements.

According to Saar, Israel’s action is a direct response to the Dutch government’s enforcement of a ban on goods imported from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The Netherlands recently joined a coordinated initiative by 12 Western countries, including Britain and France, to restrict the import of products produced in Israeli settlements.

The coordinated sanctions reflect growing international pressure over settlement activity in territories captured by Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.

In recent days, Dutch and Israeli media reported that passengers arriving from Israel at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport had their luggage inspected for goods covered by the sanctions. The reports have drawn widespread attention, although Dutch authorities have not publicly detailed individual enforcement procedures.

The issue gained further visibility after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a vocal supporter of Israeli settlers, claimed on X that members of his church travelling from Israel to the Netherlands had been warned to ensure their souvenirs were not sourced from Judea and Samaria, the biblical name for the West Bank still used by the Israeli government.

Huckabee alleged that possession of banned settlement goods could expose travellers to severe penalties, though Dutch authorities have not confirmed the specific legal consequences described in his post.

The West Bank remains one of the most contested territories in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Excluding East Jerusalem, an estimated 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the territory, alongside approximately three million Palestinians. The settlements continue to be a major source of diplomatic disagreement between Israel and many of its international partners.

The Dutch sanctions and Israel’s retaliatory diplomatic measures underscore the widening divide between Israel and several European governments over settlement policy. Beyond the immediate impact on Dutch officials, the dispute signals a broader shift in how trade, diplomacy and international law are becoming increasingly intertwined in the politics of the occupied Palestinian territories.