Netherlands to sanction trade with illegal Israeli settlements

Dutch ban on Israeli goods from occupied territory comes as efforts to implement EU-wide sanctions remain stalled.The Netherlands is set to ban imports of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.The Dutch government announced the final approval of a decree on Tuesday. It will see the Netherlands ban the “import, purchase, and sale of goods originating from unlawful Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories” from September 22.With the move, the Netherlands will join a small but fast-growing group of European countries acting unilaterally on an issue that is focused mainly on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. European Union member states remain divided on instigating a bloc-wide ban, despite several governments pushing hard for a common regime.The Netherlands’ Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Berendsen noted to parliament that the trade ban had already been planned, although the implementation date is new.A majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, last year supported the measures.Under the measure, it will also be illegal for Dutch companies to provide brokering services that facilitate trade with illegal Israeli settlements.Favourable tax regulation has made the Netherlands a key location for many global corporations. The ban also applies to Dutch companies operating abroad.The Israeli national flag flutters as apartments are seen in the background in the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 18, 2020 [File: Ronen Zvulan/Reuters]The Dutch measures follow a similar move by Belgium, which approved its own import ban days earlier.