The Netherlands has summoned the Israeli ambassador over the move, which West Jerusalem is calling a response to Dutch sanctions<\/p>\n
The Netherlands on Monday said it had summoned Israeli Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni over a decision to revoke the diplomatic status of Dutch representatives at the mission in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
\nDutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen condemned the Israeli decision as an \u201cunnecessary\u201d measure, warning it was bound to have \u201cextremely serious consequences.\u201d The move was announced by his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa\u2019ar on Sunday, with the top diplomat stripping the Dutch diplomats of their \u201cIsraeli-issued diplomatic documentation,\u201d which must be returned within seven days.
\nThe Israeli foreign minister cited the enactment of a Dutch import ban on Israeli goods originating from illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as from the Golan Heights, as the pretext for the latest move.
\n\u201cIf 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,\u201d Sa\u2019ar said in a statement, accusing The Hague of pursuing \u201canti-Israel policies.\u201d Access to the West Bank is only possible via Israel or the border checkpoints it controls.<\/p>\n
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Given the ever-tightening grip of Israeli security forces and the fact that there have been no operational airports in the Palestinian territories for quite some time, the move makes the work of the Dutch mission to Ramallah impossible and effectively amounts to an expulsion of the diplomats.
\nLast month, when the import ban was adopted by the Dutch government, West Jerusalem expelled representatives of the Netherlands from Kiryat Gat\u2019s International Support Center for Gaza. \u201cOur message is clear: Those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region. Israel will not allow measures to be taken against it without a response,\u201d Sa\u2019ar said at the time.\u00a0
\nTies between Israel and the Netherlands, as well as many other EU nations, have gradually worsened in recent years. Israel\u2019s heavy-handed campaign in Gaza, prompted by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, as well as rapid state-sponsored expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, have impacted relations. While individual members have introduced certain restrictions against Israel, the bloc has failed to provide a unified response to the situation in Palestine, with Brussels repeatedly facing criticism for applying \u201cdouble standards\u201d in its policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Netherlands has summoned the Israeli ambassador over the move, which West Jerusalem is calling a response to Dutch sanctions The Netherlands on Monday said it had summoned Israeli Ambassador…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39080,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t