Dutch Foreign Min. could get tougher on Israel; Angered by U.S. sanctions on ICC staff

The Dutch Cabinet will meet Friday to discuss “new measures” against Israel, caretaker Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said Thursday, following threats of a no-confidence motion from left-wing parties. Potential steps could include a boycott of products from illegal settlements in the West Bank.

The discussions come in response to recent Israeli military operations in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to build new settlements near East Jerusalem.

For now, Veldkamp only cited a trade boycott as a possible action. “That could be one of the steps I can discuss in Cabinet on Friday. But I will not reveal the ministerial agenda,” he said. He has previously advocated for trade sanctions at the European level.

Veldkamp also intends to seek support from other European countries. “I hope there will be more countries willing to take steps; so far, it is only Slovenia and the Netherlands. I would like to have more member states join,” he said.

Earlier in July, the Netherlands announced additional sanctions against Israel, declaring two Netanyahu government ministers unwelcome and advocating for extra trade measures within the EU. The Israeli ambassador was also summoned to meet with Veldkamp.

Legal experts note that individual EU countries cannot impose unilateral trade sanctions on Israel. “The government can make a moral appeal to companies not to do business with Israel,” Heleen over de Linden, a sanctions law specialist, told AD. “For example, telling supermarkets not to stock Israeli products.”

In a related development, Veldkamp expressed disapproval of new U.S. sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

“The Netherlands disapproves of additional sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court. Independent international courts and tribunals must be able to carry out their work without obstructions. We stand in full support of the Court,” he wrote on X.

“As one of the 125 States Parties and as host country, we remain fully committed to ensuring the Court can function as unhindered as possible,” Veldkamp added.

The U.S. sanctions target judges and prosecutors from France, Fiji, Senegal, and Canada, citing the ICC’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu. In June, four other ICC judges were also sanctioned, which the Court criticized as undermining its independence.