Trade with Israeli settlements: Dutch ministry ignores internal warnings

Analysis of Dutch ‘Discouragement’ Policy 2006 – 2023

News

18 December 2023

The Netherlands has a policy for companies trading with Israeli settlements on the West Bank. Still, this policy is inconsistent with international law, is inconsistently applied to facilitate business as usual, and has been increasingly watered down over the years. Internal documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs show that interior legal advice has been ignored for years.

Does it work?

Together with other civil society organisations, SOMO has been talking with the Dutch government for years to raise the illegality of trade with Israeli settlements. In those talks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invariably refers to the so-called ‘discouragement policy’, in which the government claims to discourage Dutch companies from doing business in or with Israeli settlements. Practice shows that companies nevertheless remain involved in the settlements. Does the Dutch discouragement policy work?

Freedom of Information

SOMO and The Rights Forum submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to learn more about the content, implementation and impact of its ‘discouragement policy’ in 2006-2023. Based on the documents released by the ministry, this article explains how this policy is interpreted, relates to international law, and is applied in practice.

Read the complete analysis on our Dutch website.

Do you need more information?

Lydia de Leeuw

Researcher

The Rights Forum

The Rights Forum is a knowledge centre on the Palestine/Israel issue, founded on the initiative of former Dutch prime minister Dries van Agt. The organisation started its work in 2009. Its founding date is 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

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