Oliver Mizzi
The New Arab / August 26, 2026
The commitment comes as Israel expelled Dutch personnel from the US-backed International Support Centre for Gaza.
London – The Netherlands’ foreign minister has doubled down on his country’s sanctions against Israel after his Israeli counterpart announced the expulsion of Dutch personnel from a ceasefire monitoring centre for Gaza.
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen told local media this week that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s announced expulsion of Dutch observers from the Kiryat Gat observatory was “unnecessary”, and that his country would uphold its sanctions against Israel.
“We will (have to) respect this decision by Israel, but we will continue to commit ourselves to the best of our ability and in every way possible to the implementation of the 20-point plan and humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza,” Berendsen said in comments relayed to The New Arab by the Foreign Ministry.
“This will not affect the decision of the Netherlands to ban products from illegal [Jewish] settlements,” he said, adding that he viewed the decision in the context of Israel’s upcoming elections in October.
Sa’ar announced the decision to expel Dutch personnel from the US-backed International Support Centre for Gaza on Tuesday, citing “anti-Israel measures” pursued by the country, including the prohibition of trade with settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank, Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem.
The Dutch decision to ban trade with Jewish settlements comes into force on 22 September, having been made in July. The Netherlands has also banned far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country.
The centre, which has observers from several countries, including the UK, the US, Egypt, Germany, and Jordan, among others, was set up in October 2025 to monitor a ceasefire in the enclave and facilitate the delivery of aid into Gaza.
Spanish personnel were similarly expelled in April from the centre, with Spain being one of the foremost critics of Israel’s war on Gaza and policies in the occupied West Bank in Europe.
Alongside the announcement, Sa’ar added: “Those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region. Israel will not allow measures to be taken against it without a response.”
The spat between the two countries is the latest in a deterioration of Israel’s diplomatic relations, particularly with Western states, prompting fears within Israel of it becoming a pariah state.
Ongoing settler terrorism against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has caught the attention of Western media outlets and politicians, alongside the expansion of Jewish settlements and the release of tenders for the E1 settlement east of occupied East Jerusalem.
The EU is actively considering a series of bloc-wide measures against Jewish settlements, while the UK is reportedly drawing up new sanctions ahead of the Labour Party conference in September, according to The Times.
This comes after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband warned the UK would “set out a comprehensive set of measures to respond to Israeli government policies”.
A joint statement from 21 Western governments and the EU on Thursday also condemned Israel’s plans for the E1 settlement, which would split the West Bank in two and has prompted fears it would kill a potential two-state solution.
Oliver Mizzi is a British journalist based in London
