Israeli diplomats warn Dutch expulsion from Gaza coordination center could trigger wider diplomatic fallout

Israel’s decision Tuesday to order Dutch representatives to leave the US-backed Gaza Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) is raising concerns among Israeli diplomats that the move could further damage ties with the Netherlands and lead to broader tensions with European countries.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the decision was a response to what he called the Dutch government’s “anti-Israel policy,” including recent measures against Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly approved the decision, which was conveyed to the Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv and US officials. The Trump administration established the CMCC as an international hub for coordinating activities related to Gaza.

The Netherlands has recently legislated trade restrictions on goods and services produced by Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank, as well as parts of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The measures are scheduled to take effect next month.

The Dutch government has also sought to suspend the trade component of the Association Agreement between Israel and the European Union. The Netherlands is the second country after Spain to have its representatives removed from the CMCC; Israel expelled Spanish representatives from the center in April, citing what it described as the Spanish government’s “anti-Israel obsession.”

The Israeli response could extend to other European countries. Britain could face similar measures if its government imposes trade restrictions on goods from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). A diplomatic source quoted by the Financial Times said that Sa’ar warned British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in a recent phone call that “Israel cannot allow punitive measures to be taken against it without responding.”

Other Israeli officials told The Times of Israel that countries taking punitive measures against Israel would face a response. “We cannot say what the response will be, but we can say there will be a response,” they said.

Israeli officials, however, have denied a Financial Times report that Germany and Italy could also face expulsion from the CMCC, saying, “There is no intention of taking action against friendly countries.”

The diplomatic fallout is nevertheless raising concerns among some Israeli officials. “The government thinks these quarrels will add votes in the election,” one official said.

“But the truth is that the next government will have a great deal of work to do to repair the relationships.”

The Board of Peace, which is involved in managing the coordination center, told the Financial Times, “We continue to engage our Israeli counterparts on ways to maintain and strengthen multilateral co-ordination and to accelerate progress on the president’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza.”