Netherlands Summons Israeli Ambassador in Protest Over Withdrawal of Diplomatic Status of Its Staff in Ramallah
Agencies3 min read
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Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berndsen decided on Monday to summon the Israeli ambassador to Amsterdam, following Tel Aviv's decision to withdraw the diplomatic status of several members of the Dutch mission in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, as reported by the Dutch Broadcasting Corporation 'NOS'.
The agency quoted Minister Berndsen as saying, during a joint press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, who is currently visiting The Hague, that he had asked the Israeli ambassador Tzvi Aviniri Fapni to come to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague to provide clarifications on the decision and discuss its implications.
The agency added that Israel had asked the Dutch employees to leave the country within 7 days, following measures taken by the Netherlands against Israel, including a ban on importing goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Golan Heights.
The Israeli measure came after a Dutch decision to ban the import, purchase, and sale of Israeli settlement products came into effect on September 22.
The agency quoted Berndsen as describing the Israeli decision as 'unnecessary', and explained that the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands is scheduled to attend the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
The agency noted that this is not the first time the Netherlands has summoned the Israeli ambassador, as it had previously done so in May 2026, following what the Netherlands described as 'inhumane' treatment of passengers on an activist ship bound for Gaza that Israel intercepted as part of the 'Freedom Flotilla' to break the Israeli blockade.
On Sunday, Dutch authorities inspected passengers on an El Al flight to ensure they were not carrying products from settlements, according to Hebrew Channel 12.
The Dutch move came after 12 Western countries announced on September 14 that they intend to impose trade restrictions on Israeli settlements.
The countries are France, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, as well as Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
The 12 countries have called on Israel to immediately halt settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories and curb settler violence.
The Israeli government boasts that since its formation in late 2022, it has approved the establishment of 104 new settlements, while establishing 160 agricultural settlements in the West Bank.
The United Nations considers the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be occupied Palestinian territory, and considers Israeli settlements there to be illegal under international law.
Palestinians warn that Israel is paving the way, through settlement expansion and attacks by the army and settlers, for the formal annexation of the West Bank, which would undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.
