March 29, 2025, Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands: A pro-Palestinian demonstrator burns a hand-fashioned Israeli flag. Photo: James Petermeier/ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

The Netherlands is expected to become the latest European country to restrict trade with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, advancing one of the most far-reaching measures yet as international efforts to boycott the Jewish state continue to grow.

Set to take effect on September 22, the Dutch law is broader than similar measures adopted elsewhere, banning goods not only from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria beyond the Green Line, but also from the Golan Heights.

The law not only prohibits imports from these areas but also the sale and purchase of such goods in the Netherlands, including products containing ingredients or components sourced from Judea and Samaria or the Golan Heights, to prevent companies from bypassing the restrictions by using other European markets.

Even further, the law applies to Dutch citizens abroad, meaning a person could face prosecution after knowingly purchasing goods from these areas while outside the country, with violations carrying a maximum penalty of up to six years in prison.

According to the UN trade database Comtrade, the Netherlands is among Israel’s largest export destinations, receiving roughly 5 percent of the country’s total exports, making the new restrictions particularly significant for Israeli businesses trading with the European market.

As part of broader efforts to isolate Israel internationally, the Netherlands has also backed measures targeting academic cooperation, with several Dutch institutions imposing sweeping restrictions on ties with Israeli counterparts and the government pushing for Israel’s removal from the EU’s Horizon research and innovation program.

So far, Ireland, Belgium and Spain are the only European countries to have advanced comprehensive legislative efforts aimed at banning trade with Israeli settlements, while Slovenia has encountered legal and political obstacles that have delayed similar measures.

The British government has also been weighing a full ban on imports of goods produced in the West Bank. If implemented, the move would mark a sharp break from existing policy, significantly tightening restrictions and reshaping how trade with the region is governed.

Unlike the current framework, a sweeping prohibition would go further by legally blocking goods produced in the settlements from entering the British market, rather than merely applying differentiated trade rules or labeling requirements.

According to market estimates, goods produced in Israeli communities beyond the Green Line account for about 1 percent of Israel’s exports, meaning exports from these areas to the EU are estimated at roughly $200 million annually, or about 0.3 percent of Israel’s total exports.

Under the current Israeli government, settlement construction in the West Bank has accelerated, with new housing approvals and the legalization of previously unauthorized communities expanding Israel’s presence in the territory — land Palestinians seek as part of a future independent state and which most of the international community considers a violation of international law.

Israel disputes claims that the settlements are illegal, pointing to historical and legal ties to Judea and Samaria as well as arguing they provide strategic depth and security considerations.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government announced plans to advance the E1 project, a settlement initiative east of Jerusalem that would effectively bisect the West Bank and sever its connection to East Jerusalem — a move that drew widespread international condemnation and renewed calls from some governments for sanctions against Israel.