Netherlands imposes three-year ban on all Israeli goods from Judea, Samaria, and the Golan – with violators liable to face jail time.By World Israel News StaffThe Netherlands will prohibit trade in goods produced in Israeli communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Golan Heights beginning September 22, adopting one of Europe’s most extensive national restrictions on commerce connected to the areas in question.The temporary sanctions decree bans goods produced wholly or partly in Israeli communities included on a European Union postal-code list used to distinguish those areas from pre-1967 Israeli territory. It prohibits bringing the products into the Netherlands, purchasing or selling them directly or indirectly, arranging transactions involving them and attempting to circumvent the restrictions.The measure was signed by King Willem-Alexander on July 13 and published in the Dutch official gazette on July 21. It is scheduled to enter force two months after publication and will expire after three years unless extended by legislation.Although frequently described as an import ban, the decree reaches considerably further. It covers products containing materials or components obtained from the targeted communities and prevents Dutch citizens and companies from buying the goods elsewhere in the EU. It also applies to brokers arranging transactions even when the products are destined for another EU country.Dutch authorities said the combination of import, purchase and sales restrictions was intended to close loopholes created by the EU’s open internal borders, which could otherwise allow goods to enter through another member state before being sold in the Netherlands.Transit shipments that merely pass through Dutch territory without entering the Dutch market will not be prohibited. The restrictions also do not constitute a general ban on products from Israel, and trade in goods produced within Israel’s internationally recognized pre-1967 boundaries will remain legal.The decree applies to Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, including east Jerusalem, as well as the Golan Heights. Israel extended its sovereignty over east Jerusalem and the Golan, but the Netherlands and the European Union do not recognize those moves.Intentional violations will be treated as criminal economic offenses carrying a maximum sentence of six years in prison, community service or a fine of up to €103,000. Unintentional violations can be punished by up to one year’s detention or a smaller fine.Dutch officials indicated, however, that enforcement will concentrate primarily on systematic and deliberate violations rather than isolated purchases by individual consumers. Customs authorities and the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service will be responsible for enforcing the measure.Prime Minister Rob Jetten said when the cabinet approved the restrictions in May that the measure was intended to increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.“The Netherlands will continue to speak out against infringements of international law and in favour of more humanitarian help,” Jetten said. “The cabinet has agreed to the sanctions to step up pressure on the Netanyahu government.”“The expansion of illegal settlements and excessive violence by settlers are causing an ever-deteriorating situation, in which a two-state solution is moving ever further out of reach,” the cabinet said when announcing the plan.“The cabinet will use these measures to prevent Dutch economic activities from contributing to the perpetuation of a situation that is contrary to international law.”The government also cited the situation on the Golan Heights and Israeli declarations favoring a permanent presence in additional Syrian territory captured following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.Ireland, Belgium and Spain have also advanced or enacted restrictions on products from Israeli communities beyond the Green Line. Ireland narrowed its legislation to goods after its government concluded that extending it to services would not be “implementable” or “viable.” Irish officials estimated that the goods affected there were worth only about €200,000 annually.The Netherlands’ measure is broader than the Irish proposal because it includes purchases, domestic sales, transaction-related services and products associated with the Golan Heights. Dutch companies will also be required to verify the origin of Israeli goods and declare that imported merchandise did not originate in one of the communities covered by the decree.The Dutch government acknowledged that the immediate economic effect is likely to be limited. Its explanatory statement said the targeted goods would generally account for only a very small portion of a typical supermarket’s sales.The post Netherlands bans Israeli goods from Judea, Samaria, and Golan, threatening violators with jail appeared first on World Israel News.