Israel revoked the diplomatic status of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah and gave them seven days to return Israeli-issued documents, in retaliation for the Netherlands’ ban on goods from Israeli settlements, which took effect Sept. 22.
In August, Israel opened tenders for 1,234 housing units in the controversial E1 project in the West Bank. Britain, Canada and France also banned goods from occupied Palestinian territories earlier this month; critics say E1 would undermine the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.
Sa’ar said the Netherlands could continue working in the West Bank only with Palestinian Authority authorization. Israel removed a Dutch representative from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat last month over the settlement ban. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called Netanyahu’s handling a “diplomatic failure,” saying Israelis arriving in the Netherlands were having their bags searched for settlement goods.
