Israel on Tuesday ordered Dutch representatives to leave the U.S.-backed Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, citing what Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described as a series of “anti-Israel” steps by the Dutch government.
The decision, approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was conveyed to the Dutch Embassy in Israel as well as to the United States. The representatives were instructed to leave Israel within one week.
U.S.-backed Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat
(צילום: איתמר אייכנר)
The coordination center, known as the CMCC, was established as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan and serves as a hub for international coordination related to the Strip.
Sa’ar said the decision followed several recent Dutch measures, including legislation banning trade in products originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as from East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The law is due to take effect next month.
“The anti-Israel policy of the Dutch government is accompanied by an unprecedented wave of antisemitism and boycotts in that country,” Sa’ar said. “Our message is clear: whoever acts against Israel will have no foothold in the region. Israel will not allow measures against it to go unanswered.”
The Dutch law is scheduled to take effect on September 22 and will prohibit the import, purchase, sale and commercial brokering of products originating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The decision was approved in May and formally advanced after the Dutch Council of State issued its legal opinion. The Dutch government has argued that the settlements are illegal under international law and that the ban is intended to ensure the Netherlands does not contribute to what it defines as an unlawful situation.
The restrictions go beyond imports. The order also bars the purchase and sale of settlement products within the Netherlands, commercial services that facilitate such trade and attempts to circumvent the restrictions through alternative business arrangements.
Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders sharply criticized the measure, saying he was “deeply ashamed” of what he called the betrayal by the country’s “left-liberal government,” accusing it of capitulating to Israel’s opponents.
Tensions have also extended into the cultural arena. For the second consecutive year, Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS announced Monday that it would boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, which is scheduled to be held in Burgas, Bulgaria.
The broadcaster said it was again withdrawing in protest over Israel’s participation, citing the situation in Gaza and what it described as a lack of clear rules for excluding countries involved in major military conflicts.
“The event can no longer be regarded as a neutral competition as long as a country that remains involved in a large-scale military conflict continues to participate,” AVROTROS said. “Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are having a significant impact on the contest and have led to deep divisions.”
The Netherlands is the second country to be removed from the Kiryat Gat coordination center.
Spain was expelled from the CMCC in April, when Israel’s Foreign Ministry cited what it called the “anti-Israel obsession” of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government and accused Madrid of seriously harming Israeli and U.S. interests, including during the war with Iran.
Israel also considered removing French representatives from the center but ultimately chose not to do so, apparently out of concern over a potentially severe response from Paris.