Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, David van Weel, plans to implement a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements.
In an official letter to the Dutch parliament, van Weel offered an update “on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the implementation of the agreements between the EU and Israel on access and delivery of humanitarian aid.”
As the NOS reports, he intends to implement a national import ban “as soon as possible”.
What imports may be banned?
According to a parliamentary motion shared by D66 member Jan Paternotte, the import ban is intended to apply to goods from “Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory”.
Paternotte also adds that these settlements are considered illegal under international law.
As individual EU member states have the flexibility to establish their own trade legislation, a ban on imported goods or services “originating from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory” could be a real possibility.
A decision many weeks in the making
This move comes just a few weeks after the NSC (a Christian democratic political party) resigned from the outgoing government. The party resigned because the then-foreign minister, Caspar Veldkamp, felt there wasn’t enough support for strong measures against Israel.
In a surprising twist of fate, the VVD, which originally opposed the move, has now decided to support the proposed ban.
Meanwhile, with van Weel, speed is of the essence. In place of legislation, he intends to go the faster route: with a General Administrative Order.
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Image: UK Home Office/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0
