Netherlands to Ban Imports from Israeli Settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territories

The Dutch government will impose a ban on the import of products or goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, effective 22 September 2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the prohibition is based on international law, which considers the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory illegal. “(The ban applies to) the import, purchase, and sale of goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements located in the Palestinian territory,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. “With the proposed measures, the Netherlands strengthens its commitment to fulfilling its international legal obligations not to contribute to this unlawful situation.” Prior to the Netherlands, other European Union member states, including Ireland, Belgium, and Spain, had already implemented import bans on products from the occupied Palestinian territories. Last month, the legal organisation Global Echo reported that the Netherlands accounts for a third of agricultural exports from Israeli settlements and nearly half of total exports sent to the EU. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, calls for all EU members to adopt an import ban from the occupied Palestinian territories have intensified. Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced last week that the security cabinet had approved the construction of a new illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, describing the approval as a “historic revolution”.