The Netherlands will prohibit the import, purchase, and sale of goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories beginning 22 September 2026, Foreign Minister Berendsen informed the lower house of parliament.
The measure, requested by a parliamentary majority last year, applies for an initial three-year period and extends to Dutch companies operating abroad. The Netherlands joins Ireland, Belgium, and Spain, which have already imposed national trade restrictions on settlement goods.
The ban carries significant trade implications: the Netherlands accounts for a third of all recorded agricultural exports from illegal Israeli settlements and nearly half of all such exports to the European Union, according to a Global Echo report. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, where more than 500,000 Israeli settlers now live alongside approximately three million Palestinians.