Israel in an unusual step against the Netherlands: its representatives will be required to leave within a week
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar ordered the removal of Dutch representatives from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat, following the enactment of a Dutch law banning trade with products from settlements. The representatives were asked to leave Israel within a week. The move is seen as a sharp response to a series of anti-Israeli steps by the Dutch government, including its joining the protest against construction in the E1 area.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar ordered today (Tuesday) the removal of Dutch representatives from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat, on the advice of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Dutch representatives were asked to leave Israel within a week. The decision was made following the enactment of a law in the Netherlands banning trade with products from Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, which will take effect in September. A kosher supermarket in Amsterdam informed its customers that starting September 22, products from the settlements, including Ahava and Abadi products and Yarden, Hermon, and Gamla wines, will not be found on its shelves. The Foreign Ministry notified the Dutch Embassy in Israel and the United States of the removal. The Otef Israel Forum welcomed the decision and called for the withdrawal of ISF forces from the Gaza border. Earlier this week, the Netherlands joined countries that protested the construction in the E1 area, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Norway, which condemned the publication of the tender for the construction of 1,234 housing units.