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Israel ordered the expulsion of Dutch representatives from a US-led coordination center in southern Israel on Tuesday, escalating a diplomatic dispute after the Netherlands moved to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced the decision on social media platform X, saying Dutch personnel would be removed from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat "immediately."
Saar said the expulsion order came at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing what he called "a series of anti-Israel measures taken by the Dutch government." He pointed specifically to a new Dutch law barring trade in Israeli products from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, which is set to take effect next month.
The Dutch government approved the ban in late July 2026, prohibiting the import, purchase and sale of goods originating from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The measure is scheduled to take effect Sept. 22, 2026. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.
Saar said Israel's embassy contacts and American officials were informed of the expulsion Tuesday evening, and that "the Dutch representatives have been instructed to leave Israel within one week."
The facility at the center of the dispute, officially called the Civil-Military Coordination Center, was set up by US Central Command to help implement the Gaza ceasefire and support the broader US peace initiative for the territory. It was established in Kiryat Gat with the participation of 40 countries and organizations to monitor the ceasefire, coordinate aid deliveries and plan for the territory's postwar administration.
The center's work has been linked to a broader roadmap released July 31, 2026, by the Board of Peace, which outlined steps for a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza alongside efforts to disarm Hamas, transfer administration to a Palestinian technocratic committee, and deploy an international stabilization force under the framework of President Trump's peace plan.
In his statement, Saar tied the trade ban to what he described as "an unprecedented wave of antisemitism and boycotts in the Netherlands." He said, "Our message is clear: Those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region. Israel will not allow measures to be taken against it without a response."
Dutch authorities had not issued a public response to the expulsion order as of Tuesday evening.
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