The Media Line: Israel Removes Netherlands From US-Backed Gaza Aid Center

Israel Removes Netherlands From US-Backed Gaza Aid Center

By The Media Line Staff

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ordered two Dutch representatives on Tuesday to leave a US-backed Gaza coordination center in Kiryat Gat within one week, retaliating against the Netherlands’ planned ban on products from Israeli settlements and other Dutch measures targeting Israel.

Sa’ar said he made the decision with the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel notified the Dutch Embassy and US officials before announcing the order.

“Representatives of the Netherlands will be expelled immediately from the International Gaza Aid Center in Kiryat Gat,” Sa’ar wrote on X.

The center, originally established as the Civil-Military Coordination Center under President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, brings together Israeli, US and international personnel. Its responsibilities include monitoring the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, coordinating humanitarian assistance and developing plans for Gaza’s reconstruction and postwar administration.

The Netherlands plans to prohibit the import and sale of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Golan Heights beginning Sept. 22. Dutch officials say the restrictions are intended to prevent commercial activity from supporting settlements that the Netherlands considers illegal under international law. Israel disputes that legal interpretation.

Sa’ar cited the import restrictions as the latest in a series of Dutch actions against Israel. The Netherlands has also barred Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from entering the country, limited certain arms exports and supported stronger European pressure over Israeli policies in Gaza and the West Bank.

“The Dutch government’s anti-Israel policy has been accompanied by an unprecedented wave of antisemitism and boycotts in the Netherlands,” Sa’ar said. He added: “Those who act against Israel will have no foothold in the region.”

Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen described Israel’s action as unnecessary and regrettable. The removal makes the Netherlands the second country expelled from the coordination mechanism after Israel excluded Spain in April over what it called the Spanish government’s hostile policies.

The order requires the Dutch representatives to leave Israel, rather than merely ending their participation at the center.