Netherlands to Ban Imports from Israeli Settlements Starting September 22

The Netherlands will ban the import, purchase, sale, and brokering of goods from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories beginning September 22, a prohibition the government approved on May 22 that also extends to services facilitating such trade and applies both at the border and within the country.

The Council of State reviewed the plan and recommended no changes. Officials described the settlements as unlawful under international law and said the restrictions fulfill the Netherlands' obligation not to contribute to that situation.

Enforcement will be difficult in practice, the government stated, and described the measure as largely symbolic. Ireland, Belgium, and Spain have already imposed comparable restrictions on trade with the settlements, Le Monde reported. The Netherlands accounted for a third of agricultural exports from the settlements and nearly half of the total sent to the European Union, according to a June report by the Global Echo non-government group, while Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 with more than 500,000 settlers living there alongside some three million Palestinians.