Following a series of hostile measures taken by the Dutch government against Israel, and the entry into force last week of a decree banning the import and trade of products from Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar informed the Dutch Embassy in Israel on Sunday evening that Dutch diplomats operating in Ramallah must return their Israeli-issued diplomatic documentation within seven days.
2+At the end of that period, the privileges and immunities granted to the diplomats by the State of Israel under those credentials will expire. The Foreign Ministry made clear that if the Netherlands wishes to continue representing its interests with the ‘Palestinians,’ it may do so from territory controlled by the ‘Palestinian’ Authority rather than from sovereign Israeli territory. The measure follows another step taken by Sa’ar last month, when he ordered the Dutch delegation removed from the International Support Center for Gaza operating in Kiryat Gat. That decision has already been fully implemented.
“We reiterate that Israel will not ignore measures intended to harm it and will take determined retaliatory action against any such attempt,” Jerusalem said. The message was accompanied by an additional warning: “Any country that acts in a hostile and unilateral manner against Israel will lose its influence and relevance in the region.”
2+The Dutch restrictions, however, extend considerably further than ordinary commercial imports. Under rules that took effect on September 22, travelers entering the Netherlands are also prohibited from carrying products originating in the areas covered by the measure in their personal luggage — including goods intended for personal use, souvenirs and gifts. The Dutch Customs Administration states that its officers may inspect travelers’ luggage and question passengers about the origin of products they are carrying. Passengers who recently arrived in Amsterdam aboard an El Al flight from Tel Aviv reported that Dutch customs officers searched their luggage to determine whether they were carrying products covered by the new restrictions, indicating that enforcement has already extended directly to individual travelers.
2+According to the Dutch Customs Administration, prohibited goods discovered during an inspection may be voluntarily surrendered. If a traveler refuses, customs officials may seize the items and file an official report, after which Dutch prosecutors can determine whether further penalties should follow. The Dutch government says the measure does not prohibit goods originating within Israel’s internationally recognized pre-1967 lines, but applies to products wholly or partly produced or obtained in the areas covered by the decree.
In Israel, officials are also directly blaming the government in Amsterdam for its broader policies toward the Jewish state, while stressing what they describe as an urgent need for Dutch authorities to take stronger action against Jew-hatred and incitement increasingly visible on the country’s streets. Israeli diplomatic officials say that not only have Dutch authorities failed to adequately confront the growing Jew-hatred and incitement, but that the Dutch government’s increasingly anti-Israel policies are themselves helping to fuel the phenomenon.