Dutch authorities search Israeli flight passengers over settlement products

Dutch authorities searched passengers on an Israeli El Al flight arriving in Amsterdam from Tel Aviv on Sunday to ensure they were not carrying products from Israeli settlements, Israel’s Channel 12 reported, describing the incident as unusual.

It said passengers arriving in Amsterdam from Tel Aviv were subjected to customs checks to detect products from Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) or the Golan Heights, referring to products from Israeli settlements.

The channel said the move followed a new law approved by the Dutch government a few days earlier, under which bringing any goods from settlements could carry a prison sentence of up to six years or a fine of up to €103,000.

The Dutch measure, which bans the import, purchase or sale of goods from settlements, took effect on 22 September, according to Channel 12.

Dutch authorities did not immediately comment on the report.

The move came after 12 Western countries announced on 14 September that they planned to impose trade restrictions on Israeli settlements.

The countries are France, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

The 12 countries called on Israel to immediately halt settlement expansion and settler violence.

In a joint statement, they said the measures were aimed at protecting the two-state solution, rejecting the annexation of Palestinian territory and forced displacement, and ensuring accountability for those responsible for violence.

The current Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says it has approved the establishment of 104 new settlements since it was formed in late 2022, while 160 agricultural settlement outposts have been established in the occupied West Bank.

The United Nations considers the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be occupied Palestinian territory and regards Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law.

Palestinians warn that Israel is paving the way for the formal annexation of the West Bank through settlement expansion and attacks by the army and settlers, undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.