After considerable public pressure, including massive Red Line demonstrations in which Rob Jetten, among others, participated, the outgoing cabinet decided in September last year to impose an import ban on products from illegal Israeli settlements. It is one of the few concrete measures taken by the Netherlands in response to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. But to persuade Israel to end the genocide, illegal occupation and apartheid, a broader ban is needed. No business as usual.
The trade ban concerns the Israeli settlements declared illegal by the International Court of Justice, which have been built on the occupied West Bank in recent decades and are expanding rapidly. Some 750,000 Israeli settlers already live there. In 2024 alone, the settlement economy generated 53 billion dollars for Israel, which is almost five times the size of the entire Palestinian economy. As long as the settlements continue to generate money, they will not be dismantled. The incoming Jetten cabinet should give priority to the trade ban.
Crimes remain unpunished
Meanwhile, repression in the West Bank is only increasing. In recent years, violence against Palestinians by settlers, but especially by the Israeli armed forces, has increased significantly. Since October 2023, more than a thousand Palestinians have been killed and many thousands have been detained and arrested – crimes that invariably go unpunished.
A ban on the import of products from the settlements would only scratch the surface. Trade in services, for example, contributes just as much to the maintenance of the settlements. A good illustration of this is the Netherlands-based Booking.com, which offers illegal Israeli accommodation in occupied Palestinian territory for rent.
According to the International Court of Justice, all products and services that contribute to the construction, expansion and maintenance of the settlements, including investments, must be restricted. Moreover, it is logical that this should be a two-way ban. Why should imports from illegal settlements be banned, while Dutch companies can continue to offer products or services there?
Contrary to international law
It is not without reason that a trade ban on the settlements has been called for for decades: they are contrary to international law. This has been laid down in UN resolutions and in rulings by (international) courts.
But a trade ban focused solely on the settlements does not go far enough, because it is not only the settlements that are illegal. The entire Israeli occupation of Palestine is unlawful. This was stated by the International Court of Justice in July 2024. States must take steps to prevent trade and investment relations that contribute to the maintenance of the occupation, according to the Court.
Furthermore, Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and pursuing a policy of apartheid. Both are illegal. Here too, the Netherlands has an obligation under international law not to contribute to this in any way and, on the contrary, to take action against it.
Bulldozers
The recently published report Don’t Buy Into Occupation by a coalition of 27 Palestinian and European civil society organisations and trade unions makes it clear why a broad ban is necessary. Dutch banks, insurers and pension funds invest more than 78 billion dollars in companies that contribute to the occupation and/or genocide in Gaza. A painful example is the investment in the American company Caterpillar, which supplies bulldozers to Israel. These bulldozers are converted into military vehicles and used by the army to destroy Palestinian buildings in Gaza.
It is a positive development that trade measures are being developed against illegal settlements, which could ultimately have a positive impact on the lives of Palestinians. However, this does not bring the policy into line with international law and does not address other Israeli violations of this law. We call on the new government to impose an unequivocal ban on all trade and investment that contributes to the decades-long injustice of occupation, genocide and apartheid.
- Audrey Gaughran, Director of Somo
- Gerard Jonkman, Director of The Rights Forum
- Dagmar Oudshoorn, Director of Amnesty International Netherlands
- Rolien Sasse, Director of PAX
- Michiel Servaes, Director of Oxfam Novib
A Dutch version of this article was previously published in Parool.
