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Israel Expels Dutch Officials From Gaza Center Over Settlement Ban
(MENAFN) Israel ordered the expulsion of Dutch representatives from a US-backed Gaza coordination hub on Tuesday, retaliating against the Netherlands' new ban on imports from Israeli settlements in occupied territory, the country's foreign minister announced.
"Representatives of the Netherlands will be expelled immediately from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat," Gideon Saar wrote in a post on X.
Saar said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally requested the move in response to what he called "a series of anti-Israel measures taken by the Dutch government."
He pointed specifically to "the enactment of a law prohibiting trade in Israeli products from Judea and Samaria (West Bank), East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, which will take effect next month" as the immediate trigger.
The facility in question — the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat — was set up by US Central Command to help implement the Gaza ceasefire and oversee the rollout of Washington's broader peace initiative for the territory.
Saar said both the Dutch Embassy in Israel and American officials were informed of the decision Tuesday evening. "The Dutch representatives have been instructed to leave Israel within one week," he said.
He went further, alleging that "the Dutch government's anti-Israel policy has been accompanied by an unprecedented wave of antisemitism and boycotts in the Netherlands."
"Our message is clear: 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," Saar added.
Dutch authorities had not issued a response to the expulsion as of Tuesday.
The trade restriction at the heart of the dispute was approved by the Netherlands in late July 2026, barring the import, purchase and sale of goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. That ban is set to take effect Sept. 22, 2026.
The diplomatic rupture comes amid a broader push to stabilize Gaza. On July 31, 2026, the Board of Peace released a document titled A Roadmap for Completing the Implementation of President Trump's Comprehensive Peace Plan in Gaza, outlining a phased Israeli troop withdrawal paired with efforts to disarm Hamas.
The roadmap additionally calls for handing Gaza's administration to a Palestinian technocratic committee and deploying an international stabilization force. It further proposes placing weapons under a national oversight committee, with the territory monitored by international supervisors alongside reconstruction work, according to the document.
The Kiryat Gat coordination center itself was established with participation from 40 countries and organizations, tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, coordinating aid deliveries and planning for Gaza's postwar reconstruction.
The expulsion follows nearly two years of Israeli military operations in Gaza launched after Oct. 7, 2023, which Palestinian officials say have killed more than 73,000 people and wounded over 174,000 others, the majority women and children — figures that have not been independently verified.
"Representatives of the Netherlands will be expelled immediately from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat," Gideon Saar wrote in a post on X.
Saar said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally requested the move in response to what he called "a series of anti-Israel measures taken by the Dutch government."
He pointed specifically to "the enactment of a law prohibiting trade in Israeli products from Judea and Samaria (West Bank), East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, which will take effect next month" as the immediate trigger.
The facility in question — the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat — was set up by US Central Command to help implement the Gaza ceasefire and oversee the rollout of Washington's broader peace initiative for the territory.
Saar said both the Dutch Embassy in Israel and American officials were informed of the decision Tuesday evening. "The Dutch representatives have been instructed to leave Israel within one week," he said.
He went further, alleging that "the Dutch government's anti-Israel policy has been accompanied by an unprecedented wave of antisemitism and boycotts in the Netherlands."
"Our message is clear: 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," Saar added.
Dutch authorities had not issued a response to the expulsion as of Tuesday.
The trade restriction at the heart of the dispute was approved by the Netherlands in late July 2026, barring the import, purchase and sale of goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. That ban is set to take effect Sept. 22, 2026.
The diplomatic rupture comes amid a broader push to stabilize Gaza. On July 31, 2026, the Board of Peace released a document titled A Roadmap for Completing the Implementation of President Trump's Comprehensive Peace Plan in Gaza, outlining a phased Israeli troop withdrawal paired with efforts to disarm Hamas.
The roadmap additionally calls for handing Gaza's administration to a Palestinian technocratic committee and deploying an international stabilization force. It further proposes placing weapons under a national oversight committee, with the territory monitored by international supervisors alongside reconstruction work, according to the document.
The Kiryat Gat coordination center itself was established with participation from 40 countries and organizations, tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, coordinating aid deliveries and planning for Gaza's postwar reconstruction.
The expulsion follows nearly two years of Israeli military operations in Gaza launched after Oct. 7, 2023, which Palestinian officials say have killed more than 73,000 people and wounded over 174,000 others, the majority women and children — figures that have not been independently verified.
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